Glatfelter (GLT) 10-Q 5 May 15 2015 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Apr. 30, 2015
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Document Period End Date	31-Mar-15
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	GLT
Entity Registrant Name	GLATFELTER P H CO
Entity Central Index Key	41719
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-19
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		43,244,168

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net sales	$417,469	$455,721
Energy and related sales, net	2,068	5,262
Total revenues	419,537	460,983
Costs of products sold	367,429	405,943
Gross profit	52,108	55,040
Selling, general and administrative expenses	31,272	33,551
Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net	-2,654	-809
Operating income	23,490	22,298
Non-operating income (expense)
Interest expense	-4,508	-4,812
Interest income	65	61
Other, net	-187	211
Total non-operating expense	-4,630	-4,540
Income before income taxes	18,860	17,758
Income tax provision	4,935	3,110
Net income	$13,925	$14,648
Earnings per share
Basic	$0.32	$0.34
Diluted	$0.32	$0.33
Cash dividends declared per common share	$0.11	$0.11
Weighted average shares outstanding
Basic	43,252	43,366
Diluted	43,949	44,360

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme1

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$13,925	$14,648
Foreign currency translation adjustments	-41,337	728
Net change in:
Deferred gains (losses) on cash flow hedges, net of taxes of $(1,063) and $27, respectively	2,766	-79
Unrecognized retirement obligations, net of taxes of $(2,011) and $(1,415), respectively	3,286	2,316
Other comprehensive income (loss)	-35,285	2,965
Comprehensive income (loss)	($21,360)	$17,613

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme2

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Taxes on deferred gains (losses) on cash flow hedges	($1,063)	$27
Taxes on unrecognized retirement obligations	($2,011)	($1,415)

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$71,570	$99,837
Accounts receivable, net	167,733	163,760
Inventories	244,463	248,705
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	65,815	62,320
Total current assets	549,581	574,622
Plant, equipment and timberlands, net	662,808	697,608
Goodwill	74,878	84,137
Intangible assets	67,298	77,098
Other assets	132,692	128,039
Total assets	1,487,257	1,561,504
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
Current portion of long-term debt	6,885	5,734
Accounts payable	136,763	157,070
Dividends payable	5,219	4,775
Environmental liabilities	5,000	1,075
Other current liabilities	104,567	111,077
Total current liabilities	258,434	279,731
Long-term debt	379,757	398,878
Deferred income taxes	100,455	104,016
Other long-term liabilities	125,742	129,770
Total liabilities	864,388	912,395
Commitments and contingencies
Shareholders' equity
Common stock	544	544
Capital in excess of par value	51,983	54,342
Retained earnings	928,174	919,468
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	-190,155	-154,870
Shareholders' equity before treasury stock	790,546	819,484
Less cost of common stock in treasury	-167,677	-170,375
Total shareholders' equity	622,869	649,109
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$1,487,257	$1,561,504

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Operating activities
Net income	$13,925	$14,648
Adjustments to reconcile to net cash provided by operations:
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	15,975	18,615
Amortization of debt issue costs and original issue discount	315	328
Pension expense, net of unfunded benefits paid	2,463	1,179
Deferred income tax provision (benefit)	1,086	-2,184
Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net	-2,654	-809
Share-based compensation	1,747	1,844
Change in operating assets and liabilities
Accounts receivable	-13,968	-11,227
Inventories	-4,732	-11,679
Prepaid and other current assets	-2,269	-2,330
Accounts payable	-8,067	-5,990
Accruals and other current liabilities	-3,492	-11,814
Other	1,826	-791
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities	2,155	-10,210
Investing activities
Expenditures for purchases of plant, equipment and timberlands	-21,749	-14,435
Proceeds from disposals of plant, equipment and timberlands, net	2,726	839
Other	-1,600
Net cash used by investing activities	-20,623	-13,596
Financing activities
Net repayments of revolving credit facility		-17,933
Payments of borrowing costs	-1,008
Repurchases of common stock		-1,251
Payments of dividends	-4,774	-4,363
Payments related to share-based compensation awards and other	-1,408	-781
Net cash used by financing activities	-7,190	-24,328
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	-2,609	37
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents	-28,267	-48,097
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period	99,837	122,882
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period	71,570	74,785
Cash paid for:
Interest, net of amounts capitalized	818	1,249
Income taxes, net	$5,321	$5,628

Organization

Organization	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Organization	1	ORGANIZATION
	P. H. Glatfelter Company and subsidiaries (“Glatfelter”) is a manufacturer of specialty papers and fiber-based engineered materials. Headquartered in York, PA, U.S. operations include facilities in Spring Grove, PA and Chillicothe and Fremont, OH. International operations include facilities in Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the Philippines, and sales and distribution offices in Russia and China. Our products are marketed worldwide, either through wholesale paper merchants, brokers and agents, or directly to customers.

Accounting_Policies

Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Accounting Policies	2	ACCOUNTING POLICIES
	Basis of Presentation The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements (“financial statements”) include the accounts of Glatfelter and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.
	We prepared these financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“generally accepted accounting principles” or “GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission pertaining to interim financial statements. In our opinion, the financial statements reflect all normal, recurring adjustments needed to present fairly our results for the interim periods. When preparing these financial statements, we have assumed that you have read the audited consolidated financial statements included in our 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
	Accounting Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingencies as of the balance sheet date and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Management believes the estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of these financial statements are reasonable, based upon currently available facts and known circumstances, but recognizes that actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions.
	Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers which clarifies the principles for recognizing revenue and develops a common revenue standard for GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. The new standard is required to be adopted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 and early adoption is not permitted. The FASB proposed that a deferral of the effective date is necessary to provide adequate time to effectively implement the new revenue standard; however the proposed deferral is not a final decision. We are in the process of evaluating the impact this standard may have, if any, on our reported results of operations or financial position.

Acquisition

Acquisition	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisition	3	ACQUISITION
	On October 1, 2014, we completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding equity of Spezialpapierfabrik Oberschmitten GmbH (SPO) from FINSPO Beteiligungs-GmbH for $8.0 million. SPO has annual sales of approximately $33 million. SPO, located near Frankfurt, Germany, primarily produces highly technical papers for a wide range of capacitors used in consumer and industrial products; insulation papers for cables and transformers; and materials for industrial power inverters, electromagnetic current filters and electric rail traction. SPO also produces glassine products, which are used in cosmetics packaging, food packaging, and pharmaceutical dosage bags. SPO is operated as part of the Composite Fibers business unit, and complements other technical specialties.

Gains_on_Dispositions_of_Plant

Gains on Dispositions of Plant, Equipment and Timberlands, Net	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Gains on Dispositions of Plant, Equipment and Timberlands, Net	4	GAINS ON DISPOSITIONS OF PLANT, EQUIPMENT AND TIMBERLANDS, NET
	During the first three months of 2015 and 2014, we completed sales of assets as summarized in the following table:
	Dollars in thousands		Acres		Proceeds		Gain
	2015
	Timberlands			1,370	$	2,726	$	2,654
	2014
	Timberlands			498	$	838	$	812
	Other			n/a		1		(3	)
	Total				$	839	$	809

Earnings_Per_Share

Earnings Per Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share	5	EARNINGS PER SHARE
	The following table sets forth the details of basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”):
			Three months ended
			March 31
	In thousands, except per share		2015		2014
	Net income		$	13,925	$	14,648
	Weighted average common shares outstanding used in basic EPS			43,252		43,366
	Common shares issuable upon exercise of dilutive stock options and PSAs / RSUs			697		994
	Weighted average common shares outstanding and common share equivalents used in diluted EPS			43,949		44,360
	Earnings per share
	Basic		$	0.32	$	0.34
	Diluted			0.32		0.33
	The following table sets forth potential common shares outstanding for stock options and restricted stock units that were not included in the computation of diluted EPS for the period indicated, because their effect would be anti-dilutive:
			March 31
			2015		2014
	Three months ended			690		276

Accumulated_Other_Comprehensiv

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Equity [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	6	ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
	The following table sets forth details of the changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (losses) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.
	in thousands		Currency			Unrealized gain			Change in			Change in other			Total
			translation			(loss) on cash			pensions			postretirement
			adjustments			flow hedges						defined benefit
												plans
	Balance at January 1, 2015		$	(34,224	)	$	2,356		$	(120,260	)	$	(2,742	)	$	(154,870	)
	Other comprehensive income before reclassifications (net of tax)			(41,337	)		3,394			—			—			(37,943	)
	Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (net of tax)			—			(628	)		3,266			20			2,658
	Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)			(41,337	)		2,766			3,266			20			(35,285	)
	Balance at March 31, 2015		$	(75,561	)	$	5,122		$	(116,994	)	$	(2,722	)	$	(190,155	)
	Balance at January 1, 2014		$	15,141		$	(941	)	$	(89,547	)	$	(10	)	$	(75,357	)
	Other comprehensive income before reclassifications (net of tax)			728			(403	)		—			—			325
	Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (net of tax)			—			324			2,281			35			2,640
	Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)			728			(79	)		2,281			35			2,965
	Balance at March 31, 2014		$	15,869		$	(1,020	)	$	(87,266	)	$	25		$	(72,392	)
	Reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income were as follows:
			Three months ended
			March 31
	In thousands		2015			2014
	Description								Line Item in Statements of Income
	Cash flow hedges (Note 14)
	(Gains) losses on cash flow hedges		$	(873	)	$	449		Costs of products sold
	Tax (benefit) expense			245			(125	)	Income tax provision
	Net of tax			(628	)		324
	Retirement plan obligations (Note 9)
	Amortization of deferred benefit pension plan items
	Prior service costs			567			548		Costs of products sold
				193			186		Selling, general and administrative
	Actuarial losses			3,366			2,196		Costs of products sold
				1,140			744		Selling, general and administrative
				5,266			3,674
	Tax benefit			(2,000	)		(1,393	)	Income tax provision
	Net of tax			3,266			2,281
	Amortization of deferred benefit other plan items
	Prior service costs			(57	)		(59	)	Costs of products sold
				(13	)		(13	)	Selling, general and administrative
	Actuarial losses			82			106		Costs of products sold
				18			23		Selling, general and administrative
				30			57
	Tax benefit			(10	)		(22	)	Income tax provision
	Net of tax			20			35
	Total reclassifications, net of tax		$	2,658		$	2,640

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	7	INCOME TAXES
	Income taxes are recognized for the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred tax liabilities and assets for the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our consolidated financial statements or tax returns. The effects of income taxes are measured based on enacted tax laws and rates.
	As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we had $15.1 million and $14.9 million of gross unrecognized tax benefits. As of March 31, 2015, if such benefits were to be recognized, approximately $15.1 million would be recorded as a component of income tax expense, thereby affecting our effective tax rate.
	We, or one of our subsidiaries, file income tax returns with the United States Internal Revenue Service, as well as various state and foreign authorities.
	The following table summarizes, by major jurisdiction, tax years that remain subject to examination:
			Open Tax Years
	Jurisdiction		Examinations not		Examination
			yet initiated		in progress
	United States
	Federal			2013 - 2014		2011 - 2012
	State			2010 - 2014		2011 - 2012
	Canada (1)			2010 - 2014		2009
	Germany (1)			2012 - 2014		2007 - 2011
	France			2013 - 2014		2011 - 2012
	United Kingdom			2013 - 2014		N/A
	Philippines			2012 - 2014		2011
	-1	– includes provincial or similar local jurisdictions, as applicable
	The amount of income taxes we pay is subject to ongoing audits by federal, state and foreign tax authorities, which often result in proposed assessments. Management performs a comprehensive review of its global tax positions on a quarterly basis and accrues amounts for uncertain tax positions. Based on these reviews and the result of discussions and resolutions of matters with certain tax authorities and the closure of tax
	years subject to tax audit, reserves are adjusted as necessary. However, future results may include favorable or unfavorable adjustments to our estimated tax liabilities in the period the assessments are determined or resolved or as such statutes are closed. Due to potential for resolution of federal, state and foreign examinations, and the lapse of various statutes of limitation, it is reasonably possible our gross unrecognized tax benefits balance may decrease within the next twelve months by a range of zero to $5.2 million. Substantially all of this range relates to tax positions taken in the U.S. and Germany.
	We recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as income tax expense. The following table summarizes information related to interest and penalties on uncertain tax positions:
			Three months ended
			March 31
	In millions		2015		2014
	Interest expense		$	0.1	$	0.1
	Penalties			—		—
			March 31		December 31
			2015		2014
	Accrued interest payable		$	0.7	$	0.6

StockBased_Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Stock-Based Compensation	8	STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
	The P. H. Glatfelter Amended and Restated Long Term Incentive Plan (the “LTIP”) provides for the issuance of Glatfelter common stock to eligible participants in the form of restricted stock units, restricted stock awards, non-qualified stock options, performance shares, incentive stock options and performance units.
	Pursuant to terms of the LTIP, we have issued to eligible participants restricted stock units, performance share awards and stock only stock appreciation rights.
	Restricted Stock Units (“RSU”) and Performance Share Awards (“PSAs”) Awards of RSUs and PSAs are made under our LTIP. The RSUs vest on the passage of time, generally on a graded scale over a three, four, and five-year period, or in certain instances the RSUs were issued with five year cliff vesting. PSAs are issued annually to members of management and each respective grant cliff vests each December 31 of the third year following the grant, assuming the achievement of predetermined, three-year cumulative performance targets. The performance measures include a minimum, target and maximum performance level providing the grantees an opportunity to receive more or less shares than targeted depending on actual financial performance. For both RSUs and PSAs, the grant date fair value of the awards, which is equal to the closing price per common share on the date of the award, is used to determine the amount of expense to be recognized over the applicable service period. Settlement of RSUs and PSAs will be made in shares of our common stock currently held in treasury.
	The following table summarizes RSU and PSA activity during periods indicated:
	Units		2015			2014
	Balance at January 1,			888,942			1,001,814
	Granted			119,882			133,089
	Forfeited			(67,179	)		(11,605	)
	Shares delivered			(178,467	)		(83,051	)
	Balance at March 31,			763,178			1,040,247
	The amount granted in 2015 and 2014 includes PSAs of 100,801 and 90,791 respectively, exclusive of reinvested dividends.
	The following table sets forth aggregate RSU and PSA compensation expense for the periods indicated:
			March 31
	In thousands		2015			2014
	Three months ended		$	367		$	579
	Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights (“SOSARs”) Under terms of the SOSAR, a recipient receives the right to a payment in the form of shares of common stock equal to the difference, if any, in the fair market value of one share of common stock at the time of exercising the SOSAR and the exercise price. The SOSARs vest ratably over a three year period and have a term of ten years.
	The following table sets forth information related to outstanding SOSARS.
			2015						2014
	SOSARS		Shares			Wtd Avg			Shares			Wtd Avg
						Exercise						Exercise
						Price						Price
	Outstanding at January 1,			1,864,707		$	16.2			1,977,133		$	13.91
	Granted			406,142			24.94			275,529			29.89
	Exercised			(58,343	)		13.52			(15,974	)		15.48
	Canceled / forfeited			—			—			—			—
	Outstanding at March 31,			2,212,506		$	17.88			2,236,688		$	15.86
	SOSAR Grants
	Weighted average grant date fair value per share		$	7.54					$	9.85
	Aggregate grant date fair value (in thousands)		$	3,063					$	2,713
	Black-Scholes assumptions
	Dividend yield			1.92	%					1.47	%
	Risk free rate of return			1.64	%					1.73	%
	Volatility			36.48	%					37.59	%
	Expected life			6 yrs						6 yrs
	The following table sets forth SOSAR compensation expense for the periods indicated:
			March 31
	In thousands		2015			2014
	Three months ended		$	589		$	449

Retirement_Plans_and_Other_Pos

Retirement Plans and Other Post-Retirement Benefits	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Retirement Plans and Other Post-Retirement Benefits	9	RETIREMENT PLANS AND OTHER POST-RETIREMENT BENEFITS
	The following tables provide information with respect to the net periodic costs of our pension and post retirement medical benefit plans.
			Three months ended
			March 31
	In thousands		2015			2014
	Pension Benefits
	Service cost		$	3,136		$	2,703
	Interest cost			5,950			6,171
	Expected return on plan assets			(11,543	)		(11,007	)
	Amortization of prior service cost			760			734
	Amortization of unrecognized loss			4,506			2,940
	Net periodic benefit cost		$	2,809		$	1,541
	Other Benefits
	Service cost		$	413		$	615
	Interest cost			563			598
	Amortization of prior service cost			(70	)		(72	)
	Amortization of unrecognized loss			100			129
	Net periodic benefit cost		$	1,006		$	1,270

Inventories

Inventories	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Inventories	10	INVENTORIES
	Inventories, net of reserves, were as follows:
			March 31		December 31
	In thousands		2015		2014
	Raw materials		$	59,894	$	61,266
	In-process and finished			116,721		117,580
	Supplies			67,848		69,859
	Total		$	244,463	$	248,705

LongTerm_Debt

Long-Term Debt	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long-Term Debt	11	LONG-TERM DEBT
	Long-term debt is summarized as follows:
			March 31			December 31
	In thousands		2015			2014
	Revolving credit facility, due Mar. 2020		$	80,030		$	—
	Revolving credit facility, due Nov. 2016			—			90,555
	5.375% Notes, due Oct. 2020			250,000			250,000
	2.40% Term Loan, due Jun. 2022			10,742			12,155
	2.05% Term Loan, due Mar. 2023			45,870			51,902
	Total long-term debt			386,642			404,612
	Less current portion			(6,885	)		(5,734	)
	Long-term debt, net of current portion		$	379,757		$	398,878
	On March 12, 2015, we entered into an amendment to our revolving credit agreement with a consortium of banks (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) which increased the amount available for borrowing to $400 million, extended the maturity of the facility to March 12, 2020, and instituted a revised interest rate pricing grid.
	For all US dollar denominated borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility, the borrowing rate is, at our option, either, (a) the bank’s base rate which is equal to the greater of i) the prime rate; ii) the federal funds rate plus 50 basis points; or iii) the daily Euro-rate plus 100 basis points plus an applicable spread over either i), ii) or iii) ranging from 12.5 basis points to 100 basis points based on the Company’s leverage ratio and its corporate credit ratings determined by Standard & Poor’s Rating Services and Moody’s Investor Service, Inc. (the “Corporate Credit Rating”); or (b) the daily Euro-rate plus an applicable margin ranging from 112.5 basis points to 200 basis points based on the Company’s leverage ratio and the Corporate Credit Rating. For non-US dollar denominated borrowings, interest is based on (b) above.
	The Revolving Credit Facility contains a number of customary covenants for financings of this type that, among other things, restrict our ability to dispose of or create liens on assets, incur additional indebtedness, repay other indebtedness, limits certain intercompany financing arrangements, make acquisitions and engage in mergers or consolidations. We are also required to comply with specified financial tests and ratios including: i) maximum net debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) ratio (the “leverage ratio”); and ii) a consolidated EBITDA to interest expense ratio. The most restrictive of our covenants is a maximum leverage ratio of 3.5x. As of March 31, 2015, the leverage ratio, as calculated in accordance with the definition in our credit agreement, was 1.9x which is within the limits set forth in our credit agreement. A breach of these requirements would give rise to certain remedies under the Revolving Credit Facility, among which are the termination of the agreement and accelerated repayment of the outstanding borrowings plus accrued and unpaid interest under the credit facility.
	On October 3, 2012, we completed a private placement offering of $250.0 million aggregate principal amount of 5.375% Senior Notes due 2020 (the “5.375% Notes”). The 5.375% Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by PHG Tea Leaves, Inc., Mollanvick, Inc., and Glatfelter Holdings, LLC (the “Guarantors”). Interest on the 5.375% Notes is payable semiannually in arrears on April 15 and October 15.
	The 5.375% Notes are redeemable, in whole or in part, at anytime on or after October 15, 2016 at the redemption prices specified in the applicable Indenture. Prior to October 15, 2016, we may redeem some or all of the Notes at a “make-whole” premium as specified in the Indenture. These Notes and the guarantees of the notes are senior obligations of the Company and the Guarantors, respectively, rank equally in right of payment with future senior indebtedness of the Company and the Guarantors and will mature on October 15, 2020.
	The 5.375% Notes contain various covenants customary to indebtedness of this nature including limitations on i) the amount of indebtedness that may be incurred; ii) certain restricted payments including common stock dividends; iii) distributions from certain subsidiaries; iv) sales of assets; v) transactions amongst subsidiaries; and vi) incurrence of liens on assets. In addition, the 5.375% Notes contain cross default provisions that could result in all such notes becoming due and payable in the event of a failure to repay debt outstanding under the Revolving Credit Agreement at maturity or a default under the Revolving Credit Agreement that accelerates the debt outstanding thereunder. As of March 31, 2015, we met all of the requirements of our debt covenants.
	Glatfelter Gernsbach GmbH & Co. KG (“Gernsbach”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours, has two separate agreements with IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, Düsseldorf (“IKB”). Pursuant to the first agreement, dated April 11, 2013, Gernsbach borrowed €42.7 million (or $57.6 million) aggregate principal amount (the “2013 IKB Loan”). The 2013 IKB Loan is repayable in 32 quarterly installments beginning on June 30, 2015 and ending on March 31, 2023 and bears interest at a rate of 2.05% per annum.
	Pursuant to the second agreement with IKB dated September 4, 2014, Gernsbach borrowed €10.0 million (or $12.6 million) aggregate principal amount (the “2014 IKB Loan”). The 2014 IKB Loan is repayable in 27 quarterly installments beginning on September 30, 2015 and ending on June 30, 2022 and bears interest at a rate of 2.40% per annum. Interest on the IKB Loan or portion thereof is payable quarterly.
	The IKB loans provide for representations, warranties and covenants customary for financings of these types. The financial covenants contained in each of the IKB loans, which relate to the minimum ratio of consolidated EBITDA to consolidated interest expense and the maximum ratio of consolidated total net debt to consolidated adjusted EBITDA, will be calculated by reference to our Revolving Credit Agreement.
	Aggregated unamortized deferred debt issuance costs incurred in connection with all of our outstanding debt totaled $6.1 million at March 31, 2015 and are reported under the caption “Other assets” in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. The deferred costs are being amortized on a straight line basis over the life of the underlying instruments.
	P. H. Glatfelter Company guarantees all debt obligations of its subsidiaries, including each of the IKB loans. All such obligations are recorded in these condensed consolidated financial statements.
	As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we had $5.4 million and $5.3 million, respectively, of letters of credit issued to us by certain financial institutions. The letters of credit, which reduce amounts available under our revolving credit facility, primarily provide financial assurances for the benefit of certain state workers compensation insurance agencies in conjunction with our self-insurance program. We bear the credit risk on this amount to the extent that we do not comply with the provisions of certain agreements. No amounts are outstanding under the letters of credit.

Asset_Retirement_Obligation

Asset Retirement Obligation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Abstract]
Asset Retirement Obligation	12	ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATION
	During 2008, we recorded $11.5 million, net present value, of asset retirement obligations related to the legal requirement to close several lagoons at the Spring Grove, PA facility. Historically, lagoons were used to dispose of residual waste material. Closure of the lagoons is expected to be completed in 2016 and will be accomplished by filling the lagoons, installing a non-permeable liner which will be covered with soil to construct the required cap over the lagoons. The retirement obligation was accrued with a corresponding increase in the carrying value of the property, equipment and timberlands caption on the consolidated balance sheet. The amount capitalized is being amortized as a charge to operations on the straight-line basis in relation to the expected closure period. Following is a summary of activity recorded during the first three months of 2015 and 2014:
	In thousands		2015			2014
	Balance at January 1,		$	4,114		$	5,032
	Accretion			29			38
	Payments			(419	)		(176	)
	Gain			(107	)		(43	)
	Balance at March 31,		$	3,617		$	4,851
	The following table summarizes the line items in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets where the asset retirement obligations are recorded:
			March 31			December 31
	In thousands		2015			2014
	Other current liabilities		$	2,000		$	2,855
	Other long-term liabilities			1,617			1,259
	Total		$	3,617		$	4,114

Fair_Value_of_Financial_Instru

Fair Value of Financial Instruments	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	13	FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
	The amounts reported on the condensed consolidated balance sheets for cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable approximate fair value. The following table sets forth carrying value and fair value of long-term debt:
			March 31, 2015				December 31, 2014
	In thousands		Carrying		Fair		Carrying		Fair
			Value		Value		Value		Value
	Variable rate debt		$	80,030	$	80,030	$	90,555	$	90,555
	Fixed-rate bonds			250,000		256,563		250,000		255,470
	2.05% Term loan			45,870		47,567		51,902		53,106
	2.40% Term loan			10,742		11,291		12,155		12,626
	Total		$	386,642	$	395,451	$	404,612	$	411,757
	As of March 31, 2015, and December 31, 2014, we had $250.0 million of 5.375% fixed rate bonds. These bonds are publicly registered, but thinly traded. Accordingly, the values set forth above for the bonds, as well as our other debt instruments, are based on observable inputs and other relevant market data (Level 2). The fair value of financial derivatives is set forth below in Note 14.

Financial_Derivatives_and_Hedg

Financial Derivatives and Hedging Activities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Financial Derivatives and Hedging Activities	14	FINANCIAL DERIVATIVES AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES
	As part of our overall risk management practices, we enter into financial derivatives primarily designed to either i) hedge foreign currency risks associated with forecasted transactions – “cash flow hedges”; or ii) mitigate the impact that changes in currency exchange rates have on intercompany financing transactions and foreign currency denominated receivables and payables – “foreign currency hedges.”
	Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments—Cash Flow Hedges We use currency forward contracts as cash flow hedges to manage our exposure to fluctuations in the currency exchange rates on certain forecasted production costs expected to be incurred over a maximum of twelve months. Currency forward contracts involve fixing the exchange for delivery of a specified amount of foreign currency on a specified date.
	We designate certain currency forward contracts as cash flow hedges of forecasted raw material purchases or certain production costs with exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. The effective portion of changes in the fair value of derivatives designated and that qualify as cash flow hedges of foreign exchange risk is deferred as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets and is subsequently reclassified into costs of products sold in the period that inventory produced using the hedged transaction affects earnings. The ineffective portion of the change in fair value of the derivative is recognized directly to earnings and reflected in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income as non-operating income (expense) under the caption “Other, net.”
	We had the following outstanding derivatives that were used to hedge foreign exchange risks associated with forecasted transactions and designated as hedging instruments:
	In thousands		March 31			December 31
			2015			2014
	Derivative
	Sell/Buy - sell notional
	Euro / British Pound			6,236			4,592
	Sell/Buy - buy notional
	Euro / Philippine Peso			528,553			523,313
	British Pound / Philippine Peso			336,235			260,535
	Euro / U.S. Dollar			41,796			32,527
	U.S. Dollar / Canadian Dollar			12,999			10,036
	These contracts have maturities of twelve months or less.
	Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments—Foreign Currency Hedges We also enter into forward foreign exchange contracts to mitigate the impact changes in currency exchange rates have on balance sheet monetary assets and liabilities. None of these contracts are designated as hedges for financial accounting purposes and, accordingly, changes in value of the foreign exchange forward contracts and in the offsetting underlying on-balance-sheet transactions are reflected in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income under the caption “Other, net.”
	The following sets forth derivatives used to mitigate the impact changes in currency exchange rates have on balance sheet monetary assets and liabilities:
	In thousands		March 31			December 31
			2015			2014
	Derivative
	Sell/Buy - sell notional
	U.S. Dollar / Euro			—			4,000
	U.S. Dollar / British Pound			9,000			9,000
	British Pound / U.S. Dollar			4,000			—
	Euro / British Pound			—			2,000
	British Pound / Euro			2,000			—
	Sell/Buy - buy notional
	Euro / U.S. Dollar			3,000			—
	British Pound / Euro			6,000			3,000
	These contracts have maturities of one month from the date originally entered into.
	Fair Value Measurements The following table summarizes the fair values of derivative instruments for the period indicated and the line items in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets where the instruments are recorded:
	In thousands		March 31			December 31			March 31		December 31
			2015			2014			2015		2014
	Balance sheet caption		Prepaid Expenses and						Other
			Other Current Assets						Current Liabilities
	Designated as hedging:
	Forward foreign currency exchange contracts		$	6,610		$	3,106		$	833	$	394
	Not designated as hedging:
	Forward foreign currency exchange contracts		$	108		$	70		$	43	$	161
	The amounts set forth in the table above represent the net asset or liability giving effect to rights of offset with each counterparty. The effect of netting the amounts presented above did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial position.
	The following table summarizes the amount of income or (loss) from derivative instruments recognized in our results of operations for the periods indicated and the line items in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income where the results are recorded:
			Three months ended
			March 31
	In thousands		2015			2014
	Designated as hedging:
	Forward foreign currency exchange contracts:
	Effective portion – cost of products sold		$	873		$	(449	)
	Ineffective portion – other, net			350			(18	)
	Not designated as hedging:
	Forward foreign currency exchange contracts:
	Other, net		$	720		$	336
	The impact of activity not designated as hedging was substantially all offset by the remeasurement of the underlying on-balance sheet item.
	The fair value hierarchy consists of three broad levels, which gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3).
	The fair values of the foreign exchange forward contracts are considered to be Level 2. Foreign currency forward contracts are valued using foreign currency forward and interest rate curves. The fair value of each contract is determined by comparing the contract rate to the forward rate and discounting to present value. Contracts in a gain position are recorded in the condensed consolidated balance sheets under the caption “Prepaid expenses and other current assets” and the value of contracts in a loss position is recorded under the caption “Other current liabilities.”
	A rollforward of fair value amounts recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income is as follows:
	In thousands		2015			2014
	Balance at January 1,		$	3,282		$	(1,296	)
	Deferred (losses) gains on cash flow hedges			4,703			(555	)
	Reclassified to earnings			(873	)		449
	Balance at March 31,		$	7,112		$	(1,402	)
	We expect substantially all of the amounts recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income will be realized in results of operations within the next twelve months and the amount ultimately recognized will vary depending on actual market rates.
	Credit risk related to derivative activity arises in the event the counterparty fails to meet its obligations to us. This exposure is generally limited to the amounts, if any, by which the counterparty’s obligations exceed our obligation to them. Our policy is to enter into contracts only with financial institutions which meet certain minimum credit ratings.

Commitments_Contingencies_and_

Commitments, Contingencies and Legal Proceedings	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments, Contingencies and Legal Proceedings	15	COMMITMENTS, CONTINGENCIES AND LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
	Fox River—Neenah, Wisconsin
	Background. We have significant uncertainties associated with environmental claims arising out of the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (“PCBs”) in sediments in the lower Fox River, on which our former Neenah facility was located, and in the Bay of Green Bay Wisconsin (collectively, the “Site”). Since the early 1990s, the United States, the State of Wisconsin and two Indian tribes (collectively, the “Governments”) have pursued a cleanup of a 39-mile stretch of river from Little Lake Butte des Morts into Green Bay and natural resource damages (“NRDs”).
	The potentially responsible parties (“PRPs”) consisted of us, Appvion, Inc. (formerly known as Appleton Papers Inc.), CBC Coating, Inc. (formerly known as Riverside Paper Corporation), Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products, L.P. (“Georgia Pacific”, formerly known as Fort James Operating Company), Menasha Corporation, NCR Corporation (“NCR”), U.S. Paper Mills Corp., and WTM I Company. After giving effect to settlements reached with the Governments, the remaining PRPs consist of us, Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products, L.P. and NCR.
	The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has divided the Site into five “operable units”, including the most upstream portion of the Site on which our facility was located (“OU1”) and four downstream reaches of the river and bay (“OU2-5”).
	The Site has been subject to certain studies and the parties conducted certain demonstration projects and completed certain interim cleanups. The permanent cleanup, known as a “remedial action” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA” or “Superfund”), consists of sediment dredging, installation of engineered caps, and placement of sand covers in various areas in the bed of the river.
	We and WTM I Company implemented the remedial action in OU1 under a consent decree with the Governments; Menasha Corporation made a financial contribution to that work. That project began in 2004 and the work is complete other than on-going monitoring and maintenance.
	For the downstream portion of the Site, referred to as OU2-5, work has proceeded primarily under a Unilateral Administrative Order (“UAO”) issued in November 2007 by the EPA to us and seven other respondents. The remedial actions have been funded, to date, primarily by NCR and its indemnitors, including Appvion, Inc. (formerly known as Appleton Papers Inc.). Work is scheduled to continue in OU2-5 through 2017, although work may be required in 2018 to complete the project, with monitoring and maintenance to follow.
	Although we have not contributed significant funds towards remedial actions other than in OU1 until 2015, as more fully discussed below, significant uncertainties exist pertaining to the ultimate allocation of OU2-5 remediation costs as well as the shorter term funding of the remedial actions for OU2-5.
	Cost estimates. Estimates of the Site remediation change over time as we, or others, gain additional data and experience at the Site. In addition, disagreement exists over the likely costs for some of this work. On October 14, 2014, the Governments represented to the United States District Court in Green Bay that $1.1 billion provided an “upper end estimate of total past and future response costs” including a $100 million “uncertainty premium for future response costs.” Based upon estimates made by the Governments and independent estimates commissioned by various potentially responsible parties, we have no reason to disagree with the Governments’ assertion. Much of that amount has already been incurred, including approximately $100 million for OU1 and what we believe to be approximately $500 million for OU2-5 prior to the 2015 construction season.
	The Governments previously indicated their expectation to have work in OU2-5 completed at a rate estimated to cost at least $70 million in 2015 and 2016 and at lower rates thereafter. However, the Governments currently estimate the cost for the 2015 dredging season to be approximately $100 million.
	As the result of a partial settlement, Georgia-Pacific has no obligation to pay for work upstream of a line near Georgia-Pacific’s Green Bay West Mill located in OU4. We believe substantially all in-water work upstream of this line has been completed as of the end of the 2014 dredging season.
	NRDs. The Governments’ NRD assessment documents originally claimed we are jointly and severally responsible for NRDs with a value between $176 million and $333 million. The Governments claimed this range should be inflated to current dollars and then certain unreimbursed past assessment costs should be added, so the range of their claim was $287 million to $423 million in 2009.
	However, on October 14, 2014, the Governments represented to the district court that if certain settlements providing $45.9 million toward compensation of NRDs were approved, the total NRD recovery would amount to $105 million. The Governments would consider those recoveries adequate and they would withdraw their claims against us and NCR for additional compensation of NRDs. Some of the settling parties, including all of the settling parties contributing the $45.9 million, have waived their rights to seek contribution from us of the settlement amounts. We previously paid a portion of the other $59 million in earlier settlements.
	Allocation Litigation. In January 2008, NCR and Appvion brought an action in the federal district court in Green Bay to allocate among all of the parties responsible for this Site all of the costs incurred by the Governments, all of the costs incurred by the parties, and all of the NRDs owed to the Natural Resource Trustees. We have previously referred to this case as the “Whiting Litigation.” After several summary judgment rulings and a trial, the trial court entered judgment in the Whiting Litigation, allocating to NCR 100 percent of the costs (a) of the OU2-5 cleanup, (b) NRDs, (c) past and future costs incurred by the Governments in OU2-5, and (d) past and future costs incurred by any of the other parties net of an appropriate equitable adjustment for insurance recoveries. As to Glatfelter, NCR was judged liable to us for $4.28 million and any future costs or damages we may incur. NCR was held not responsible for costs incurred in OU1.
	All parties appealed the Whiting Litigation judgment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. On September 25, 2014, that court affirmed, holding that if knowledge and fault were the only equitable factors governing allocation of costs and NRDs at the Site, NCR would owe 100% of all costs and damages in OU2-5, but would not have a share of costs in OU1, which is upstream of the outfall of the facilities for which NCR is responsible, solely as an “arranger for disposal” of PCB-containing waste paper by recycling it at our mill. However, the court of appeals vacated the judgment and remanded the case for the district court’s further consideration of whether any other equitable factors might cause the district court to alter its allocation.
	We contend the district court should, after further consideration, reinstate the 100%, or some similar very high, allocation to NCR of all the costs, and we should bear no share or a very small share. However, NCR has taken a contrary position and has sought contributions from others for future work until all allocation issues are resolved.
	In addition, we take the position that the “single site” theory on which the courts held us responsible for cleaning up parts of the Site far downstream of our former mill should, if applied to NCR, make it liable for costs incurred in OU1. The district court agreed in an order dated March 3, 2015. On March 31, 2015, NCR sought review of that order by the court of appeals which was denied on May 1, 2015.
	Appvion and NCR have had a cost-sharing agreement since at least 1998. The court of appeals held if Appvion incurred any recoverable costs because the Governments had named Appvion as a potentially responsible party rather than as a consequence of Appvion’s obligations to NCR, then Appvion may have a right to recover those costs under CERCLA. We contend Appvion has no such costs, and if it did, we would have a right to contribution of any recovery against NCR and others.
	The district court has established a schedule for the Whiting Litigation under which it would hold a trial in June 2016 on remaining issues.
	Enforcement Litigation. In October 2010, the United States and the State of Wisconsin brought an action (“Government Action”) in the federal district court in Green Bay against us and 13 other defendants seeking (a) to recover all of their unreimbursed past costs, (b) to obtain a declaration of joint and several liability for all of their future costs, (c) to recover NRDs, and (d) to obtain a declaration of liability of all of the respondents on the UAO to perform the remedy in OU2-5 as required by the UAO and a mandatory permanent injunction to the same effect. The last of these claims was tried in 2012, and in May 2013, the district court enjoined us, NCR, WTM I, and Menasha Corp. to perform the work under the UAO. As the result of partial settlements, U.S. Paper Mills Corp. and Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products L.P. agreed to joint and several liability for some of the work. Appvion was held not liable for this Site under CERCLA.
	All other potentially responsible parties, including the United States and the State of Wisconsin, have either settled with the Governments or entered into a consent decree that awaits approval from the district court. As a result, the remaining defendants consist of us, NCR, and Georgia-Pacific.
	We appealed the injunction to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, as did NCR, WTM I, and Menasha. On September 25, 2014, the court of appeals decided our and NCR’s appeals; the others’ appeals were not decided because they entered into a settlement. The court of appeals vacated the injunction as to us and NCR. However, it affirmed the district court’s ruling that we are liable for response actions in OU2-5 and for complying with the UAO. The court of appeals vacated and remanded the district court’s decision that NCR had failed to prove that liability for OU2-5 could be apportioned, directing the lower court to consider issues it had not considered initially. The United States has since moved for a judgment against NCR based on further findings from the existing evidentiary record, and we await a decision on that motion.
	Except as described above with respect to the claim for NRDs, the pending settlement, and the motion for a judgment on further findings, we do not know the Governments’ intentions concerning further litigation of the Government Action, nor do we know the schedule for any further proceedings. We cannot now predict when it will be resolved.
	Interim Funding of Ongoing Work. As described above, the court of appeals vacated the allocation judgment in the Whiting Litigation on September 25, 2014, but neither court has since replaced that allocation with any other. On April 9, 2015, the EPA approved a “Final Phase 2B Work Plan For 2015 Remedial Action of Operable Units 2 Through 5” (the “2015 Work Plan”), which sets forth remedial activities for 2015 estimated to cost approximately $100 million. NCR, GP, and we were not able to reach agreement on a division of the costs of that work on an interim basis, subject to reallocation in the Whiting Litigation. NCR and GP have entered into a proposed consent decree with the United States under which they will fund certain work estimated to cost approximately $67 million this year, and they will not be responsible for the remainder of the work, estimated to cost approximately $33 million. Through the issuance of the 2015 Work Plan the EPA assigned to us those remaining tasks. Under the proposed consent decree, all parties would remain jointly and severally liable for work in the 2015 Work Plan not completed in 2015, except for a small amount of work upstream of the area for which GP is responsible. Accordingly, we are currently engaged in arranging for the work assigned to us to begin. We do not know that all or any of that work can be accomplished practically in 2015.
	We are in the process of evaluating the 2015 Work Plan. Any work performed under the 2015 Work Plan is subject to a reallocation of costs in the pending Whiting litigation. We are evaluating i) whether the work purportedly assigned to us could be completed in the specified timeframe; ii) whether the EPA has the legal authority to assign remedial tasks as it purports to have done under the terms of the UAO; iii) whether we have available to us avenues for relief from the purported obligation to perform the assigned work in 2015; iv) whether we have any other responses of which we may avail our self; v) whether an arbitrary per capita allocation of one-third can be imposed on us in light of the multiple rulings by the courts since 2009 that appear inconsistent with a per capita allocation; and vi) whether the 2015 Work Plan affects the Company’s ultimate liability for this Site. We cannot predict the outcome of any such actions or any possible resulting litigation. Therefore, in the interim it is conceivable we may be required to complete some or all of the tasks assigned to us in the 2015 Work Plan. Although we are unable to determine with any degree of certainty the amount we may fund, those amounts could be significant. Any amounts we pay or any other party pays in the interim are likely to be subject to reallocation when the Whiting Litigation is resolved.
	Reserves for the Site. As of March 31, 2015, our reserve for the Site totaled $16.2 million, including our remediation and ongoing monitoring obligations in OU1, our share of remediation of the rest of the Site, NRDs and all pending, threatened or asserted and unasserted claims against us relating to PCB contamination at the Site. We have not adjusted our reserves as a result of the issuance of the 2015 Work Plan. Of our total reserve for the Fox River, $5.0 million is recorded in the accompanying March 31, 2015 condensed consolidated balance sheet under the caption “Environmental liabilities” and the remainder is recorded under the caption “Other long term liabilities.” To the extent that we are required to fund remediation activities in OU2-5, such developments would affect the classification of the current portion of our reserve.
	As described above, the appellate court vacated and remanded for reconsideration the district court’s ruling in the Whiting Litigation that NCR would bear 100% of costs for the downstream portion of the Site. We continue to believe we will not be allocated a significant share of liability in any final equitable allocation of the response costs for OU2-5 or for NRDs. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements do not include reserves for any future defense costs, which could be significant, related to our involvement at the Site.
	In setting our reserve for the Site, we have assessed our legal defenses, including our successful defenses to the allegations made in the Whiting Litigation and the original determination in the Whiting Litigation that NCR owes us “full contribution” for response costs and for NRDs that we may become obligated to pay except in OU1. We assume we will not bear the entire cost of remediation or damages to the exclusion of other known parties at the Site, who are also jointly and severally liable. The existence and ability of other parties to participate has also been taken into account in setting our reserve, and setting our reserve is generally based on our evaluation of recent publicly available financial information on certain of the responsible parties and any known insurance, indemnity or cost sharing agreements between responsible parties and third parties. In addition, we have considered the magnitude, nature, location and circumstances associated with the various discharges of PCBs to the river and the relationship of those discharges to identified contamination. We will continue to evaluate our exposure and the level of our reserves, including, but not limited to, our potential share of the costs and NRDs, if any, associated with the Site.
	Other Information. The Governments have published studies estimating the amount of PCBs discharged by each identified potentially responsible party to the lower Fox River and Green Bay. These reports estimate our Neenah mill’s share of the mass of PCBs discharged to be as high as 27%. The district court has found the discharge mass estimates used in these studies not to be accurate. We believe the Neenah mill’s absolute and relative contribution of PCB mass is significantly lower than the estimates set forth in these studies. The trial court in the Government Action has found that the Neenah mill discharged an unknown amount of PCBs.
	Based upon the rulings in the Whiting Litigation and the Government Action, neither of which endorsed an equitable allocation in proportion to the mass of PCBs discharged, we continue to believe an allocation in proportion to mass of PCBs discharged would not constitute an equitable allocation of the potential liability for the contamination at the Fox River. We contend other factors, such as a party’s role in causing costs, the location of discharge, and the location of contamination must be considered in order for the allocation to be equitable.
	Range of Reasonably Possible Outcomes. Our analysis from all available information, including but not limited to decisions of the courts, official documents such as records of decision, discussions with the United States and other parties, as well as legal counsel and engineering consultants. Based on our analysis of the current records of decision and cost estimates for work to be performed at the Site, and substantially dependent on the resolution of the allocation arguments discussed above, we believe it is reasonably possible that our costs associated with the Fox River matter could exceed the aggregate amounts accrued for the Fox River matter by amounts ranging from insignificant to $185 million.
	We expect remediation costs to be incurred primarily over the next two to three years, although we are unable to determine with any degree of certainty whether we will be required to share in the funding of the downstream remediation. We believe the likelihood of an outcome in the upper end of the monetary range is significantly less than other possible outcomes within the range and the possibility of an outcome in excess of the upper end of the monetary range is remote.
	However, we cannot predict the outcome of any actions related to interim funding. To the extent we are required to provide any such interim funding, we contend that NCR or another party would be required to reimburse us once the final allocation is determined.
	Summary. Our current assessment is we will be able to manage this environmental matter without a long-term, material adverse impact on the Company. This matter could, however, at any particular time or for any particular year or years, have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, liquidity and/or results of operations or could result in a default under our debt covenants. Moreover, there can be no assurance our reserves will be adequate to provide for future obligations related to this matter, or our share of costs and/or damages will not exceed our available resources, or those obligations will not have a long-term, material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, liquidity or results of operations. Should a court grant the United States or the State of Wisconsin relief requiring us individually either to perform directly or to contribute significant amounts towards remedial action downstream of Little Lake Butte des Morts those developments could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, liquidity and results of operations and might result in a default under our loan covenants.

Segment_Information

Segment Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment Information	16	SEGMENT INFORMATION
	The following tables set forth financial and other information by business unit for the period indicated:
	Three months ended March 31		Composite Fibers				Advanced Airlaid				Specialty Papers				Other and Unallocated						Total
	Dollars in millions						Materials
			2015		2014		2015		2014		2015		2014		2015			2014			2015			2014
	Net sales		$	135.3	$	158.6	$	62.3	$	71.3	$	219.9	$	225.8	$	—		$	—		$	417.5		$	455.7
	Energy and related sales, net			—		—		—		—		2.1		5.3		—			—			2.1			5.3
	Total revenue			135.3		158.6		62.3		71.3		222		231.1		—			—			419.5			461
	Cost of products sold			109		126		55.1		63.1		200.4		215		2.9			1.8			367.4			405.9
	Gross profit (loss)			26.3		32.6		7.2		8.2		21.6		16.1		(2.9	)		(1.8	)		52.1			55
	SG&A			11.6		13.3		1.9		2.3		12.1		13.7		5.6			4.3			31.3			33.6
	Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net			—		—		—		—		—		—		(2.7	)		(0.8	)		(2.7	)		(0.8	)
	Total operating income (loss)			14.7		19.3		5.3		5.9		9.5		2.4		(5.8	)		(5.2	)		23.5			22.3
	Non-operating expense			—		—		—		—		—		—		(4.6	)		(4.5	)		(4.6	)		(4.5	)
	Income (loss) before income taxes		$	14.7	$	19.3	$	5.3	$	5.9	$	9.5	$	2.4	$	(10.4	)	$	(9.8	)	$	18.9		$	17.8
	Supplementary Data
	Net tons sold (thousands)			38		40		24.1		25.1		198.7		202.2		—			—			260.7			267.3
	Depreciation, depletion and amortization		$	6.7	$	7.6	$	2.2	$	2.3	$	6.6	$	8.3	$	0.5		$	0.5		$	16		$	18.6
	Capital expenditures			5.9		6		1.3		1.5		13.2		6.2		1.3			0.8			21.7			14.4
	The sum of individual amounts set forth above may not agree to the consolidated financial statements included herein due to rounding.

Condensed_Consolidating_Financ

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Condensed Financial Information of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Abstract]
Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements	17	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
	Our 5.375% Notes issued by P. H. Glatfelter Company (the “Parent”) are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, on a joint and several basis, by certain of our 100%-owned domestic subsidiaries, PHG Tea Leaves, Inc., Mollanvick, Inc., and Glatfelter Holdings, LLC. The guarantees are subject to certain customary release provisions including i) the designation of such subsidiary as an unrestricted or excluded subsidiary; (ii) in connection with any sale or disposition of the capital stock of the subsidiary guarantor; and (iii) upon our exercise of our legal defeasance option or our covenant defeasance option, all of which are more fully described in the Indenture dated as of October 3, 2012 among us, the Guarantors and US Bank National Association, as Trustee, relating to the 5.375% Notes. The following presents our condensed consolidating statements of income, including comprehensive income for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, our condensed consolidating balance sheets as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 and condensed consolidating cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. These financial statements reflect the parent, the guarantor subsidiaries (on a combined basis), the non-guarantor subsidiaries (on a combined basis) and elimination entries necessary to combine such entities on a consolidated basis. Our presentation of the Guarantors’ statement of income for the three months ended March 31, 2014 has been restated to correctly apply the equity method of accounting to reflect the Guarantors’ equity interests in certain Non Guarantors. Such changes are reflected under the captions “Equity in earnings of subsidiaries” and “Investments in subsidiaries” in the accompanying condensed consolidating statements of income. The correction had no impact on any financial information of the Parent Company, the Non Guarantors or on the statement of cash flows.
	Condensed Consolidating Statement of Income for the
	three months ended March 31, 2015
	In thousands		Parent			Guarantors			Non			Adjustments/			Consolidated
			Company						Guarantors			Eliminations
	Net sales		$	219,876		$	—		$	197,593		$	—		$	417,469
	Energy and related sales, net			2,068			—			—			—			2,068
	Total revenues			221,944			—			197,593			—			419,537
	Costs of products sold			202,519			—			164,910			—			367,429
	Gross profit			19,425			—			32,683			—			52,108
	Selling, general and administrative expenses			17,182			190			13,900			—			31,272
	Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net			(1,471	)		(1,183	)		—			—			(2,654	)
	Operating income			3,714			993			18,783			—			23,490
	Other non-operating income (expense)
	Interest expense			(4,817	)		—			(6,394	)		6,703			(4,508	)
	Interest income			163			6,599			5			(6,702	)		65
	Equity in earnings of subsidiaries			16,363			9,475			—			(25,838	)		—
	Other, net			(715	)		(126	)		655			(1	)		(187	)
	Total other non-operating income (expense)			10,994			15,948			(5,734	)		(25,838	)		(4,630	)
	Income before income taxes			14,708			16,941			13,049			(25,838	)		18,860
	Income tax provision			783			904			3,248			—			4,935
	Net income			13,925			16,037			9,801			(25,838	)		13,925
	Other comprehensive income (loss)			(35,285	)		(38,550	)		38,848			(298	)		(35,285	)
	Comprehensive income (loss)		$	(21,360	)	$	(22,513	)	$	48,649		$	(26,136	)	$	(21,360	)
	Condensed Consolidating Statement of Income for the
	months ended March 31, 2014
	In thousands		Parent			Guarantors			Non			Adjustments/			Consolidated
			Company						Guarantors			Eliminations
	Net sales		$	225,831		$	18		$	229,890		$	(18	)	$	455,721
	Energy and related sales, net			5,262			—			—			—			5,262
	Total revenues			231,093			18			229,890			(18	)		460,983
	Costs of products sold			216,716			17			189,228			(18	)		405,943
	Gross profit			14,377			1			40,662			—			55,040
	Selling, general and administrative expenses			17,793			13			15,745			—			33,551
	Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net			(812	)		—			3			—			(809	)
	Operating income (loss)			(2,604	)		(12	)		24,914			—			22,298
	Other non-operating income (expense)
	Interest expense			(4,739	)		—			(2,731	)		2,658			(4,812	)
	Interest income			153			2,559			7			(2,658	)		61
	Equity in earnings of subsidiaries			22,499			20,462			—			(42,961	)		—
	Other, net			(881	)		10			1,082			—			211
	Total other non-operating income (expense)			17,032			23,031			(1,642	)		(42,961	)		(4,540	)
	Income before income taxes			14,428			23,019			23,272			(42,961	)		17,758
	Income tax (benefit) provision			(220	)		913			2,417			—			3,110
	Net income			14,648			22,106			20,855			(42,961	)		14,648
	Other comprehensive income			2,965			1			885			(886	)		2,965
	Comprehensive income		$	17,613		$	22,107		$	21,740		$	(43,847	)	$	17,613
	Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet as of
	March 31, 2015
	In thousands		Parent			Guarantors			Non			Adjustments/			Consolidated
			Company						Guarantors			Eliminations
	Assets
	Cash and cash equivalents		$	50,133		$	2,583		$	18,854		$	—		$	71,570
	Other current assets			227,159			328,811			270,141			(348,100	)		478,011
	Plant, equipment and timberlands, net			259,875			961			401,972			—			662,808
	Investments in subsidiaries			802,272			378,000			—			(1,180,272	)		—
	Other assets			126,687			86,808			148,666			(87,293	)		274,868
	Total assets		$	1,466,126		$	797,163		$	839,633		$	(1,615,665	)	$	1,487,257
	Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
	Current liabilities		$	434,759		$	4,887		$	169,589		$	(350,801	)	$	258,434
	Long-term debt			250,000			—			635,789			(506,032	)		379,757
	Deferred income taxes			48,983			(453	)		49,206			2,719			100,455
	Other long-term liabilities			109,515			—			103,033			(86,806	)		125,742
Total liabilities			843,257			4,434			957,617			(940,920	)		864,388
Shareholders’ equity			622,869			792,729			(117,984	)		(674,745	)		622,869
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity		$	1,466,126		$	797,163		$	839,633		$	(1,615,665	)	$	1,487,257
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet as of
December 31, 2014
In thousands		Parent			Guarantors			Non			Adjustments/			Consolidated
		Company						Guarantors			Eliminations
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents		$	42,208		$	514		$	57,115		$	—		$	99,837
Other current assets			218,544			420,451			263,567			(427,777	)		474,785
Plant, equipment and timberlands, net			255,255			991			441,362			—			697,608
Investments in subsidiaries			824,480			399,931			—			(1,224,411	)		—
Other assets			121,125			—			186,129			(17,980	)		289,274
Total assets		$	1,461,612		$	821,887		$	948,173		$	(1,670,168	)	$	1,561,504
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
Current liabilities		$	403,662		$	3,394		$	307,737		$	(435,062	)	$	279,731
Long-term debt			250,000			—			721,457			(572,579	)		398,878
Deferred income taxes			46,483			(453	)		70,275			(12,289	)		104,016
Other long-term liabilities			112,358			—			11,633			5,779			129,770
Total liabilities			812,503			2,941			1,111,102			(1,014,151	)		912,395
Shareholders’ equity			649,109			818,946			(162,929	)		(656,017	)		649,109
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity		$	1,461,612		$	821,887		$	948,173		$	(1,670,168	)	$	1,561,504
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows for the three
months ended March 31, 2015
In thousands		Parent			Guarantors			Non			Adjustments/			Consolidated
		Company						Guarantors			Eliminations
Net cash provided (used) by
Operating activities		$	(975	)	$	(10	)	$	3,140		$	—		$	2,155
Investing activities
Expenditures for purchases of plant, equipment and timberlands			(14,513	)		—			(7,236	)		—			(21,749	)
Proceeds from disposal plant, equipment and timberlands, net			1,513			1,213			—			—			2,726
Repayments from intercompany loans			—			31,556			—			(31,556	)		—
Advances of intercompany loans			—			(30,690	)		—			30,690			—
Other			(1,600	)		—			—			—			(1,600	)
Total investing activities			(14,600	)		2,079			(7,236	)		(866	)		(20,623	)
Financing activities
Payments of borrowing costs			(1,008	)		—			—			—			(1,008	)
Payment of dividends to shareholders			(4,774	)		—			—			—			(4,774	)
Repayments of intercompany loans			—			—			(31,556	)		31,556			—
Borrowings of intercompany loans			30,690			—			—			(30,690	)		—
Payments related to share-based compensation awards and other			(1,408	)		—			—			—			(1,408	)
Total financing activities			23,500			—			(31,556	)		866			(7,190	)
Effect of exchange rate on cash			—			—			(2,609	)		—			(2,609	)
Net increase (decrease) in cash			7,925			2,069			(38,261	)		—			(28,267	)
Cash at the beginning of period			42,208			514			57,115			—			99,837
Cash at the end of period		$	50,133		$	2,583		$	18,854		$	—		$	71,570
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows for the three
months ended March 31, 2014
In thousands		Parent			Guarantors			Non			Adjustments/			Consolidated
		Company						Guarantors			Eliminations
Net cash provided (used) by
Operating activities		$	(3,797	)	$	981		$	(7,394	)	$	—		$	(10,210	)
Investing activities
Expenditures for purchases of plant, equipment and timberlands			(6,979	)		—			(7,456	)		—			(14,435	)
Proceeds from disposal plant, equipment and timberlands, net			838			—			1			—			839
Advances of intercompany loans			—			(1,250	)		—			1,250			—
Total investing activities			(6,141	)		(1,250	)		(7,455	)		1,250			(13,596	)
Financing activities
Net proceeds from indebtedness			—			—			(17,933	)		—			(17,933	)
Payment of dividends to shareholders			(4,363	)		—			—			—			(4,363	)
Repurchases of common stock			(1,251	)		—			—			—			(1,251	)
Borrowings of intercompany loans			1,250			—			—			(1,250	)		—
Payments related to share-based compensation awards and other			(781	)		—			—			—			(781	)
Total financing activities			(5,145	)		—			(17,933	)		(1,250	)		(24,328	)
Effect of exchange rate on cash			—			—			37			—			37
Net decrease in cash			(15,083	)		(269	)		(32,745	)		—			(48,097	)
Cash at the beginning of period			56,216			501			66,165			—			122,882
Cash at the end of period		$	41,133		$	232		$	33,420		$	—		$	74,785

Accounting_Policies_Policies

Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements (“financial statements”) include the accounts of Glatfelter and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.
	We prepared these financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“generally accepted accounting principles” or “GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission pertaining to interim financial statements. In our opinion, the financial statements reflect all normal, recurring adjustments needed to present fairly our results for the interim periods. When preparing these financial statements, we have assumed that you have read the audited consolidated financial statements included in our 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Accounting Estimates	Accounting Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingencies as of the balance sheet date and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Management believes the estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of these financial statements are reasonable, based upon currently available facts and known circumstances, but recognizes that actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers which clarifies the principles for recognizing revenue and develops a common revenue standard for GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. The new standard is required to be adopted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 and early adoption is not permitted. The FASB proposed that a deferral of the effective date is necessary to provide adequate time to effectively implement the new revenue standard; however the proposed deferral is not a final decision. We are in the process of evaluating the impact this standard may have, if any, on our reported results of operations or financial position.

Gains_on_Dispositions_of_Plant1

Gains on Dispositions of Plant, Equipment and Timberlands, Net (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Summary for Sale of Timberlands and Other Assets	During the first three months of 2015 and 2014, we completed sales of assets as summarized in the following table:
	Dollars in thousands	Acres		Proceeds		Gain
	2015
	Timberlands		1,370	$	2,726	$	2,654
	2014
	Timberlands		498	$	838	$	812
	Other		n/a		1		(3	)
	Total			$	839	$	809

Earnings_Per_Share_Tables

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Details of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS)	The following table sets forth the details of basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”):
		Three months ended
		March 31
	In thousands, except per share	2015		2014
	Net income	$	13,925	$	14,648
	Weighted average common shares outstanding used in basic EPS		43,252		43,366
	Common shares issuable upon exercise of dilutive stock options and PSAs / RSUs		697		994
	Weighted average common shares outstanding and common share equivalents used in diluted EPS		43,949		44,360
	Earnings per share
	Basic	$	0.32	$	0.34
	Diluted		0.32		0.33
Number of Potential Common Shares that have been Excluded from Computation of Diluted Earnings Per Share for Indicated Period Due to Their Anti-Dilutive Nature	The following table sets forth potential common shares outstanding for stock options and restricted stock units that were not included in the computation of diluted EPS for the period indicated, because their effect would be anti-dilutive:
		March 31
		2015		2014
	Three months ended		690		276

Accumulated_Other_Comprehensiv1

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Equity [Abstract]
Schedule of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Losses)	The following table sets forth details of the changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (losses) for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014.
	in thousands	Currency			Unrealized gain			Change in			Change in other			Total
		translation			(loss) on cash			pensions			postretirement
		adjustments			flow hedges						defined benefit
											plans
	Balance at January 1, 2015	$	(34,224	)	$	2,356		$	(120,260	)	$	(2,742	)	$	(154,870	)
	Other comprehensive income before reclassifications (net of tax)		(41,337	)		3,394			—			—			(37,943	)
	Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (net of tax)		—			(628	)		3,266			20			2,658
	Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)		(41,337	)		2,766			3,266			20			(35,285	)
	Balance at March 31, 2015	$	(75,561	)	$	5,122		$	(116,994	)	$	(2,722	)	$	(190,155	)
	Balance at January 1, 2014	$	15,141		$	(941	)	$	(89,547	)	$	(10	)	$	(75,357	)
	Other comprehensive income before reclassifications (net of tax)		728			(403	)		—			—			325
	Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (net of tax)		—			324			2,281			35			2,640
	Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)		728			(79	)		2,281			35			2,965
	Balance at March 31, 2014	$	15,869		$	(1,020	)	$	(87,266	)	$	25		$	(72,392	)
Schedule of Amounts Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	Reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income were as follows:
		Three months ended
		March 31
	In thousands	2015			2014
	Description							Line Item in Statements of Income
	Cash flow hedges (Note 14)
	(Gains) losses on cash flow hedges	$	(873	)	$	449		Costs of products sold
	Tax (benefit) expense		245			(125	)	Income tax provision
	Net of tax		(628	)		324
	Retirement plan obligations (Note 9)
	Amortization of deferred benefit pension plan items
	Prior service costs		567			548		Costs of products sold
			193			186		Selling, general and administrative
	Actuarial losses		3,366			2,196		Costs of products sold
			1,140			744		Selling, general and administrative
			5,266			3,674
	Tax benefit		(2,000	)		(1,393	)	Income tax provision
	Net of tax		3,266			2,281
	Amortization of deferred benefit other plan items
	Prior service costs		(57	)		(59	)	Costs of products sold
			(13	)		(13	)	Selling, general and administrative
	Actuarial losses		82			106		Costs of products sold
			18			23		Selling, general and administrative
			30			57
	Tax benefit		(10	)		(22	)	Income tax provision
	Net of tax		20			35
	Total reclassifications, net of tax	$	2,658		$	2,640

Income_Taxes_Tables

Income Taxes (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Tax Years that Remain Subject to Examination by Major Jurisdiction	The following table summarizes, by major jurisdiction, tax years that remain subject to examination:
			Open Tax Years
	Jurisdiction		Examinations not		Examination
			yet initiated		in progress
	United States
	Federal			2013 - 2014		2011 - 2012
	State			2010 - 2014		2011 - 2012
	Canada (1)			2010 - 2014		2009
	Germany (1)			2012 - 2014		2007 - 2011
	France			2013 - 2014		2011 - 2012
	United Kingdom			2013 - 2014		N/A
	Philippines			2012 - 2014		2011
	-1	– includes provincial or similar local jurisdictions, as applicable
Summary of Information Related to Interest and Penalties on Uncertain Tax Positions	The following table summarizes information related to interest and penalties on uncertain tax positions:
			Three months ended
			March 31
	In millions		2015		2014
	Interest expense		$	0.1	$	0.1
	Penalties			—		—
			March 31		December 31
			2015		2014
	Accrued interest payable		$	0.7	$	0.6

StockBased_Compensation_Tables

Stock-Based Compensation (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Restricted Stock Units (RSU) and Performance Share Awards (PSAs) [Member]
Summary of Stock Option Activity	The following table summarizes RSU and PSA activity during periods indicated:
	Units	2015			2014
	Balance at January 1,		888,942			1,001,814
	Granted		119,882			133,089
	Forfeited		(67,179	)		(11,605	)
	Shares delivered		(178,467	)		(83,051	)
	Balance at March 31,		763,178			1,040,247
Compensation Expense for Stock Option Activity	The following table sets forth aggregate RSU and PSA compensation expense for the periods indicated:
		March 31
	In thousands	2015			2014
	Three months ended	$	367		$	579
Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights (SOSARs) [Member]
Summary of Stock Option Activity	The following table sets forth information related to outstanding SOSARS.
		2015						2014
	SOSARS	Shares			Wtd Avg			Shares			Wtd Avg
					Exercise						Exercise
					Price						Price
	Outstanding at January 1,		1,864,707		$	16.2			1,977,133		$	13.91
	Granted		406,142			24.94			275,529			29.89
	Exercised		(58,343	)		13.52			(15,974	)		15.48
	Canceled / forfeited		—			—			—			—
	Outstanding at March 31,		2,212,506		$	17.88			2,236,688		$	15.86
	SOSAR Grants
	Weighted average grant date fair value per share	$	7.54					$	9.85
	Aggregate grant date fair value (in thousands)	$	3,063					$	2,713
	Black-Scholes assumptions
	Dividend yield		1.92	%					1.47	%
	Risk free rate of return		1.64	%					1.73	%
	Volatility		36.48	%					37.59	%
	Expected life		6 yrs						6 yrs
Compensation Expense for Stock Option Activity	The following table sets forth SOSAR compensation expense for the periods indicated:
		March 31
	In thousands	2015			2014
	Three months ended	$	589		$	449

Retirement_Plans_and_Other_Pos1

Retirement Plans and Other Post-Retirement Benefits (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Net Periodic Costs of Pension and Post Retirement Medical Benefit Plans	The following tables provide information with respect to the net periodic costs of our pension and post retirement medical benefit plans.
		Three months ended
		March 31
	In thousands	2015			2014
	Pension Benefits
	Service cost	$	3,136		$	2,703
	Interest cost		5,950			6,171
	Expected return on plan assets		(11,543	)		(11,007	)
	Amortization of prior service cost		760			734
	Amortization of unrecognized loss		4,506			2,940
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	2,809		$	1,541
	Other Benefits
	Service cost	$	413		$	615
	Interest cost		563			598
	Amortization of prior service cost		(70	)		(72	)
	Amortization of unrecognized loss		100			129
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	1,006		$	1,270

Inventories_Tables

Inventories (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Inventories, Net of Reserves	Inventories, net of reserves, were as follows:
		March 31		December 31
	In thousands	2015		2014
	Raw materials	$	59,894	$	61,266
	In-process and finished		116,721		117,580
	Supplies		67,848		69,859
	Total	$	244,463	$	248,705

LongTerm_Debt_Tables

Long-Term Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Summary of Long-Term Debt	Long-term debt is summarized as follows:
		March 31			December 31
	In thousands	2015			2014
	Revolving credit facility, due Mar. 2020	$	80,030		$	—
	Revolving credit facility, due Nov. 2016		—			90,555
	5.375% Notes, due Oct. 2020		250,000			250,000
	2.40% Term Loan, due Jun. 2022		10,742			12,155
	2.05% Term Loan, due Mar. 2023		45,870			51,902
	Total long-term debt		386,642			404,612
	Less current portion		(6,885	)		(5,734	)
	Long-term debt, net of current portion	$	379,757		$	398,878

Asset_Retirement_Obligation_Ta

Asset Retirement Obligation (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Asset Retirement Obligation	Following is a summary of activity recorded during the first three months of 2015 and 2014:
	In thousands	2015			2014
	Balance at January 1,	$	4,114		$	5,032
	Accretion		29			38
	Payments		(419	)		(176	)
	Gain		(107	)		(43	)
	Balance at March 31,	$	3,617		$	4,851
Schedule of Consolidated Balance Sheets where Asset Retirement Obligations Recorded	The following table summarizes the line items in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets where the asset retirement obligations are recorded:
		March 31			December 31
	In thousands	2015			2014
	Other current liabilities	$	2,000		$	2,855
	Other long-term liabilities		1,617			1,259
	Total	$	3,617		$	4,114

Fair_Value_of_Financial_Instru1

Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Carrying Value and Fair Value of Long-Term Debt	The following table sets forth carrying value and fair value of long-term debt:
		March 31, 2015				December 31, 2014
	In thousands	Carrying		Fair		Carrying		Fair
		Value		Value		Value		Value
	Variable rate debt	$	80,030	$	80,030	$	90,555	$	90,555
	Fixed-rate bonds		250,000		256,563		250,000		255,470
	2.05% Term loan		45,870		47,567		51,902		53,106
	2.40% Term loan		10,742		11,291		12,155		12,626
	Total	$	386,642	$	395,451	$	404,612	$	411,757

Financial_Derivatives_and_Hedg1

Financial Derivatives and Hedging Activities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Fair Values of Derivative Instruments	The following table summarizes the fair values of derivative instruments for the period indicated and the line items in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets where the instruments are recorded:
	In thousands	March 31			December 31			March 31		December 31
		2015			2014			2015		2014
	Balance sheet caption	Prepaid Expenses and						Other
		Other Current Assets						Current Liabilities
	Designated as hedging:
	Forward foreign currency exchange contracts	$	6,610		$	3,106		$	833	$	394
	Not designated as hedging:
	Forward foreign currency exchange contracts	$	108		$	70		$	43	$	161
Income or (Loss) from Derivative Instruments Recognized in Results of Operations	The following table summarizes the amount of income or (loss) from derivative instruments recognized in our results of operations for the periods indicated and the line items in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income where the results are recorded:
		Three months ended
		March 31
	In thousands	2015			2014
	Designated as hedging:
	Forward foreign currency exchange contracts:
	Effective portion – cost of products sold	$	873		$	(449	)
	Ineffective portion – other, net		350			(18	)
	Not designated as hedging:
	Forward foreign currency exchange contracts:
	Other, net	$	720		$	336
Fair Value Amounts Recorded as Component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	A rollforward of fair value amounts recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income is as follows:
	In thousands	2015			2014
	Balance at January 1,	$	3,282		$	(1,296	)
	Deferred (losses) gains on cash flow hedges		4,703			(555	)
	Reclassified to earnings		(873	)		449
	Balance at March 31,	$	7,112		$	(1,402	)
Designated as Hedging [Member]
Outstanding Derivatives Used to Hedge Foreign Exchange Risks	We had the following outstanding derivatives that were used to hedge foreign exchange risks associated with forecasted transactions and designated as hedging instruments:
	In thousands	March 31			December 31
		2015			2014
	Derivative
	Sell/Buy - sell notional
	Euro / British Pound		6,236			4,592
	Sell/Buy - buy notional
	Euro / Philippine Peso		528,553			523,313
	British Pound / Philippine Peso		336,235			260,535
	Euro / U.S. Dollar		41,796			32,527
	U.S. Dollar / Canadian Dollar		12,999			10,036
Not Designated as Hedging [Member]
Outstanding Derivatives Used to Hedge Foreign Exchange Risks	The following sets forth derivatives used to mitigate the impact changes in currency exchange rates have on balance sheet monetary assets and liabilities:
	In thousands	March 31			December 31
		2015			2014
	Derivative
	Sell/Buy - sell notional
	U.S. Dollar / Euro		—			4,000
	U.S. Dollar / British Pound		9,000			9,000
	British Pound / U.S. Dollar		4,000			—
	Euro / British Pound		—			2,000
	British Pound / Euro		2,000			—
	Sell/Buy - buy notional
	Euro / U.S. Dollar		3,000			—
	British Pound / Euro		6,000			3,000

Segment_Information_Tables

Segment Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Financial and Other Information by Business Unit	The following tables set forth financial and other information by business unit for the period indicated:
	Three months ended March 31	Composite Fibers				Advanced Airlaid				Specialty Papers				Other and Unallocated						Total
	Dollars in millions					Materials
		2015		2014		2015		2014		2015		2014		2015			2014			2015			2014
	Net sales	$	135.3	$	158.6	$	62.3	$	71.3	$	219.9	$	225.8	$	—		$	—		$	417.5		$	455.7
	Energy and related sales, net		—		—		—		—		2.1		5.3		—			—			2.1			5.3
	Total revenue		135.3		158.6		62.3		71.3		222		231.1		—			—			419.5			461
	Cost of products sold		109		126		55.1		63.1		200.4		215		2.9			1.8			367.4			405.9
	Gross profit (loss)		26.3		32.6		7.2		8.2		21.6		16.1		(2.9	)		(1.8	)		52.1			55
	SG&A		11.6		13.3		1.9		2.3		12.1		13.7		5.6			4.3			31.3			33.6
	Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net		—		—		—		—		—		—		(2.7	)		(0.8	)		(2.7	)		(0.8	)
	Total operating income (loss)		14.7		19.3		5.3		5.9		9.5		2.4		(5.8	)		(5.2	)		23.5			22.3
	Non-operating expense		—		—		—		—		—		—		(4.6	)		(4.5	)		(4.6	)		(4.5	)
	Income (loss) before income taxes	$	14.7	$	19.3	$	5.3	$	5.9	$	9.5	$	2.4	$	(10.4	)	$	(9.8	)	$	18.9		$	17.8
	Supplementary Data
	Net tons sold (thousands)		38		40		24.1		25.1		198.7		202.2		—			—			260.7			267.3
	Depreciation, depletion and amortization	$	6.7	$	7.6	$	2.2	$	2.3	$	6.6	$	8.3	$	0.5		$	0.5		$	16		$	18.6
	Capital expenditures		5.9		6		1.3		1.5		13.2		6.2		1.3			0.8			21.7			14.4

Condensed_Consolidating_Financ1

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Condensed Financial Information of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Abstract]
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Income	Condensed Consolidating Statement of Income for the
	three months ended March 31, 2015
	In thousands	Parent			Guarantors			Non			Adjustments/			Consolidated
		Company						Guarantors			Eliminations
	Net sales	$	219,876		$	—		$	197,593		$	—		$	417,469
	Energy and related sales, net		2,068			—			—			—			2,068
	Total revenues		221,944			—			197,593			—			419,537
	Costs of products sold		202,519			—			164,910			—			367,429
	Gross profit		19,425			—			32,683			—			52,108
	Selling, general and administrative expenses		17,182			190			13,900			—			31,272
	Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net		(1,471	)		(1,183	)		—			—			(2,654	)
	Operating income		3,714			993			18,783			—			23,490
	Other non-operating income (expense)
	Interest expense		(4,817	)		—			(6,394	)		6,703			(4,508	)
	Interest income		163			6,599			5			(6,702	)		65
	Equity in earnings of subsidiaries		16,363			9,475			—			(25,838	)		—
	Other, net		(715	)		(126	)		655			(1	)		(187	)
	Total other non-operating income (expense)		10,994			15,948			(5,734	)		(25,838	)		(4,630	)
	Income before income taxes		14,708			16,941			13,049			(25,838	)		18,860
	Income tax provision		783			904			3,248			—			4,935
	Net income		13,925			16,037			9,801			(25,838	)		13,925
	Other comprehensive income (loss)		(35,285	)		(38,550	)		38,848			(298	)		(35,285	)
	Comprehensive income (loss)	$	(21,360	)	$	(22,513	)	$	48,649		$	(26,136	)	$	(21,360	)
	Condensed Consolidating Statement of Income for the
	months ended March 31, 2014
	In thousands	Parent			Guarantors			Non			Adjustments/			Consolidated
		Company						Guarantors			Eliminations
	Net sales	$	225,831		$	18		$	229,890		$	(18	)	$	455,721
	Energy and related sales, net		5,262			—			—			—			5,262
	Total revenues		231,093			18			229,890			(18	)		460,983
	Costs of products sold		216,716			17			189,228			(18	)		405,943
	Gross profit		14,377			1			40,662			—			55,040
	Selling, general and administrative expenses		17,793			13			15,745			—			33,551
	Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net		(812	)		—			3			—			(809	)
	Operating income (loss)		(2,604	)		(12	)		24,914			—			22,298
	Other non-operating income (expense)
	Interest expense		(4,739	)		—			(2,731	)		2,658			(4,812	)
	Interest income		153			2,559			7			(2,658	)		61
	Equity in earnings of subsidiaries		22,499			20,462			—			(42,961	)		—
	Other, net		(881	)		10			1,082			—			211
	Total other non-operating income (expense)		17,032			23,031			(1,642	)		(42,961	)		(4,540	)
	Income before income taxes		14,428			23,019			23,272			(42,961	)		17,758
	Income tax (benefit) provision		(220	)		913			2,417			—			3,110
	Net income		14,648			22,106			20,855			(42,961	)		14,648
	Other comprehensive income		2,965			1			885			(886	)		2,965
	Comprehensive income	$	17,613		$	22,107		$	21,740		$	(43,847	)	$	17,613
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet	Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet as of
	March 31, 2015
	In thousands	Parent			Guarantors			Non			Adjustments/			Consolidated
		Company						Guarantors			Eliminations
	Assets
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	50,133		$	2,583		$	18,854		$	—		$	71,570
	Other current assets		227,159			328,811			270,141			(348,100	)		478,011
	Plant, equipment and timberlands, net		259,875			961			401,972			—			662,808
	Investments in subsidiaries		802,272			378,000			—			(1,180,272	)		—
	Other assets		126,687			86,808			148,666			(87,293	)		274,868
	Total assets	$	1,466,126		$	797,163		$	839,633		$	(1,615,665	)	$	1,487,257
	Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
	Current liabilities	$	434,759		$	4,887		$	169,589		$	(350,801	)	$	258,434
	Long-term debt		250,000			—			635,789			(506,032	)		379,757
	Deferred income taxes		48,983			(453	)		49,206			2,719			100,455
	Other long-term liabilities		109,515			—			103,033			(86,806	)		125,742
	Total liabilities		843,257			4,434			957,617			(940,920	)		864,388
	Shareholders’ equity		622,869			792,729			(117,984	)		(674,745	)		622,869
	Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$	1,466,126		$	797,163		$	839,633		$	(1,615,665	)	$	1,487,257
	Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet as of
	December 31, 2014
	In thousands	Parent			Guarantors			Non			Adjustments/			Consolidated
		Company						Guarantors			Eliminations
	Assets
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	42,208		$	514		$	57,115		$	—		$	99,837
	Other current assets		218,544			420,451			263,567			(427,777	)		474,785
	Plant, equipment and timberlands, net		255,255			991			441,362			—			697,608
	Investments in subsidiaries		824,480			399,931			—			(1,224,411	)		—
	Other assets		121,125			—			186,129			(17,980	)		289,274
	Total assets	$	1,461,612		$	821,887		$	948,173		$	(1,670,168	)	$	1,561,504
	Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
	Current liabilities	$	403,662		$	3,394		$	307,737		$	(435,062	)	$	279,731
	Long-term debt		250,000			—			721,457			(572,579	)		398,878
	Deferred income taxes		46,483			(453	)		70,275			(12,289	)		104,016
	Other long-term liabilities		112,358			—			11,633			5,779			129,770
	Total liabilities		812,503			2,941			1,111,102			(1,014,151	)		912,395
	Shareholders’ equity		649,109			818,946			(162,929	)		(656,017	)		649,109
	Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity	$	1,461,612		$	821,887		$	948,173		$	(1,670,168	)	$	1,561,504
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows	Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows for the three
	months ended March 31, 2015
	In thousands	Parent			Guarantors			Non			Adjustments/			Consolidated
		Company						Guarantors			Eliminations
	Net cash provided (used) by
	Operating activities	$	(975	)	$	(10	)	$	3,140		$	—		$	2,155
	Investing activities
	Expenditures for purchases of plant, equipment and timberlands		(14,513	)		—			(7,236	)		—			(21,749	)
	Proceeds from disposal plant, equipment and timberlands, net		1,513			1,213			—			—			2,726
	Repayments from intercompany loans		—			31,556			—			(31,556	)		—
	Advances of intercompany loans		—			(30,690	)		—			30,690			—
	Other		(1,600	)		—			—			—			(1,600	)
	Total investing activities		(14,600	)		2,079			(7,236	)		(866	)		(20,623	)
	Financing activities
	Payments of borrowing costs		(1,008	)		—			—			—			(1,008	)
	Payment of dividends to shareholders		(4,774	)		—			—			—			(4,774	)
	Repayments of intercompany loans		—			—			(31,556	)		31,556			—
	Borrowings of intercompany loans		30,690			—			—			(30,690	)		—
	Payments related to share-based compensation awards and other		(1,408	)		—			—			—			(1,408	)
	Total financing activities		23,500			—			(31,556	)		866			(7,190	)
	Effect of exchange rate on cash		—			—			(2,609	)		—			(2,609	)
	Net increase (decrease) in cash		7,925			2,069			(38,261	)		—			(28,267	)
	Cash at the beginning of period		42,208			514			57,115			—			99,837
	Cash at the end of period	$	50,133		$	2,583		$	18,854		$	—		$	71,570
	Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows for the three
	months ended March 31, 2014
	In thousands	Parent			Guarantors			Non			Adjustments/			Consolidated
		Company						Guarantors			Eliminations
	Net cash provided (used) by
	Operating activities	$	(3,797	)	$	981		$	(7,394	)	$	—		$	(10,210	)
	Investing activities
	Expenditures for purchases of plant, equipment and timberlands		(6,979	)		—			(7,456	)		—			(14,435	)
	Proceeds from disposal plant, equipment and timberlands, net		838			—			1			—			839
	Advances of intercompany loans		—			(1,250	)		—			1,250			—
	Total investing activities		(6,141	)		(1,250	)		(7,455	)		1,250			(13,596	)
	Financing activities
	Net proceeds from indebtedness		—			—			(17,933	)		—			(17,933	)
	Payment of dividends to shareholders		(4,363	)		—			—			—			(4,363	)
	Repurchases of common stock		(1,251	)		—			—			—			(1,251	)
	Borrowings of intercompany loans		1,250			—			—			(1,250	)		—
	Payments related to share-based compensation awards and other		(781	)		—			—			—			(781	)
	Total financing activities		(5,145	)		—			(17,933	)		(1,250	)		(24,328	)
	Effect of exchange rate on cash		—			—			37			—			37
	Net decrease in cash		(15,083	)		(269	)		(32,745	)		—			(48,097	)
	Cash at the beginning of period		56,216			501			66,165			—			122,882
	Cash at the end of period	$	41,133		$	232		$	33,420		$	—		$	74,785

Acquisition_Additional_Informa

Acquisition - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Oct. 01, 2014
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Revenue	$419,537,000	$460,983,000
Spezialpapierfabrik Oberschmitten GmbH [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Date of acquisition	1-Oct-14
Payment made for acquisition			8,000,000
Revenue			$33,000,000

Gains_on_Dispositions_of_Plant2

Gains on Dispositions of Plant, Equipment and Timberlands, Net - Summary for Sale of Timberlands and Other Assets (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Proceeds		$839
Gain	2,654	809
Timberlands [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Acres	1,370	498
Proceeds	2,726	838
Gain	2,654	812
Other [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Proceeds		1
Gain		($3)

Earnings_Per_Share_Details_of_

Earnings Per Share - Details of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income	$13,925	$14,648
Weighted average common shares outstanding used in basic EPS	43,252	43,366
Common shares issuable upon exercise of dilutive stock options and PSAs / RSUs	697	994
Weighted average common shares outstanding and common share equivalents used in diluted EPS	43,949	44,360
Earnings per share
Basic	$0.32	$0.34
Diluted	$0.32	$0.33

Earnings_Per_Share_Number_of_P

Earnings Per Share - Number of Potential Common Shares that have been Excluded from Computation of Diluted Earnings Per Share for Indicated Period Due to Their Anti-Dilutive Nature (Detail)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Potential common shares	690	276

Accumulated_Other_Comprehensiv2

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income - Schedule of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Losses) (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	($154,870)	($75,357)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications (net of tax)	-37,943	325
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (net of tax)	2,658	2,640
Other comprehensive income (loss)	-35,285	2,965
Ending Balance	-190,155	-72,392
Currency Translation Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	-34,224	15,141
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications (net of tax)	-41,337	728
Other comprehensive income (loss)	-41,337	728
Ending Balance	-75,561	15,869
Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	2,356	-941
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications (net of tax)	3,394	-403
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (net of tax)	-628	324
Other comprehensive income (loss)	2,766	-79
Ending Balance	5,122	-1,020
Change in Pensions [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	-120,260	-89,547
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (net of tax)	3,266	2,281
Other comprehensive income (loss)	3,266	2,281
Ending Balance	-116,994	-87,266
Change in Other Postretirement Defined Benefit Plan [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	-2,742	-10
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (net of tax)	20	35
Other comprehensive income (loss)	20	35
Ending Balance	($2,722)	$25

Accumulated_Other_Comprehensiv3

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income - Schedule of Amounts Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Costs of products sold	$367,429	$405,943
Selling, general and administrative	31,272	33,551
Income tax provision	4,935	3,110
Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Net of tax	2,658	2,640
Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] | Pension Benefits [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Before tax	5,266	3,674
Income tax provision	-2,000	-1,393
Net of tax	3,266	2,281
Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] | Pension Benefits [Member] | Prior Service Costs [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Costs of products sold	567	548
Selling, general and administrative	193	186
Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] | Pension Benefits [Member] | Actuarial Losses [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Costs of products sold	3,366	2,196
Selling, general and administrative	1,140	744
Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] | Amortization of Deferred Benefit Other Plan Items [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Before tax	30	57
Income tax provision	-10	-22
Net of tax	20	35
Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] | Amortization of Deferred Benefit Other Plan Items [Member] | Prior Service Costs [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Costs of products sold	-57	-59
Selling, general and administrative	-13	-13
Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] | Amortization of Deferred Benefit Other Plan Items [Member] | Actuarial Losses [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Costs of products sold	82	106
Selling, general and administrative	18	23
Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] | Cash Flow Hedges [Member] | (Gains) Losses on Cash Flow Hedges [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Costs of products sold	-873	449
Income tax provision	245	-125
Net of tax	($628)	$324

Income_Taxes_Additional_Inform

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Gross unrecognized tax benefits	$15.10	$14.90
Unrecognized tax benefits that would impact effective tax rate	15.1
Lower range of gross unrecognized tax benefits balance may decrease within the next twelve months	0
Higher range of gross unrecognized tax benefits balance may decrease within the next twelve months	$5.20

Income_Taxes_Summary_of_Tax_Ye

Income Taxes - Summary of Tax Years that Remain Subject to Examination by Major Jurisdiction (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
United States - Federal [Member]
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Examinations not yet initiated	2013 - 2014
Examination in progress	2011 - 2012
United States - State [Member]
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Examinations not yet initiated	2010 - 2014
Examination in progress	2011 - 2012
Canada [Member]
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Examinations not yet initiated	2010 - 2014
Examination in progress	2009
Germany [Member]
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Examinations not yet initiated	2012 - 2014
Examination in progress	2007 - 2011
France [Member]
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Examinations not yet initiated	2013 - 2014
Examination in progress	2011 - 2012
United Kingdom [Member]
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Examinations not yet initiated	2013 - 2014
Examination in progress	N/A
Philippines [Member]
Income Tax Examination [Line Items]
Examinations not yet initiated	2012 - 2014
Examination in progress	2011

Income_Taxes_Summary_of_Inform

Income Taxes - Summary of Information Related to Interest and Penalties on Uncertain Tax Positions (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Interest expense	$0.10	$0.10
Penalties	0	0
Accrued interest payable	$0.70	$0.60

StockBased_Compensation_Additi

Stock-Based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Restricted Stock Units (RSU) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
The vesting graded scale	The RSUs vest on the passage of time, generally on a graded scale over a three, four, and five-year period, or in certain instances the RSUs were issued with five year cliff vesting.
Performance Share Awards (PSAs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Cumulative performance targets	3 years
Grants under performance share awards	100,801	90,791
Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights (SOSARs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Vesting period of stock	3 years
Vesting term	10 years

StockBased_Compensation_Summar

Stock-Based Compensation - Summary of RSU and PSA Activity (Detail) (Restricted Stock Units (RSU) and Performance Share Awards (PSAs) [Member])	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Restricted Stock Units (RSU) and Performance Share Awards (PSAs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Beginning Balance	888,942	1,001,814
Granted	119,882	133,089
Forfeited	-67,179	-11,605
Shares delivered	-178,467	-83,051
Ending Balance	763,178	1,040,247

StockBased_Compensation_Compen

Stock-Based Compensation - Compensation Expense for Periods (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Restricted Stock Units (RSU) and Performance Share Awards (PSAs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Compensation expense	$367	$579
Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights (SOSARs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Compensation expense	$589	$449

StockBased_Compensation_Schedu

Stock-Based Compensation - Schedule of Information Related to Outstanding SOSARS (Detail) (Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights (SOSARs) [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Stock Only Stock Appreciation Rights (SOSARs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Beginning Balance, Outstanding	1,864,707	1,977,133
Granted	406,142	275,529
Exercised	-58,343	-15,974
Canceled / forfeited	0	0
Ending Balance, Outstanding	2,212,506	2,236,688
Beginning Balance, Weighted Average Exercise Price, Outstanding	$16.20	$13.91
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Granted	$24.94	$29.89
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Exercised	$13.52	$15.48
Weighted Average Exercise Price, Canceled / forfeited	$0	$0
Ending Balance, Weighted Average Exercise Price, Outstanding	$17.88	$15.86
Weighted average grant date fair value per share	$7.54	$9.85
Aggregate grant date fair value	$3,063	$2,713
Black-Scholes assumptions
Dividend yield	1.92%	1.47%
Risk free rate of return	1.64%	1.73%
Volatility	36.48%	37.59%
Expected life	6 years	6 years

Retirement_Plans_and_Other_Pos2

Retirement Plans and Other Post-Retirement Benefits - Schedule of Net Periodic Costs of Pension and Post Retirement Medical Benefit Plans (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Pension Benefits [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	$3,136	$2,703
Interest cost	5,950	6,171
Expected return on plan assets	-11,543	-11,007
Amortization of prior service cost	760	734
Amortization of unrecognized loss	4,506	2,940
Net periodic benefit cost	2,809	1,541
Other Benefits [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Service cost	413	615
Interest cost	563	598
Amortization of prior service cost	-70	-72
Amortization of unrecognized loss	100	129
Net periodic benefit cost	$1,006	$1,270

Inventories_Inventories_Net_of

Inventories - Inventories, Net of Reserves (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]
Raw materials	$59,894	$61,266
In-process and finished	116,721	117,580
Supplies	67,848	69,859
Total	$244,463	$248,705

LongTerm_Debt_Summary_of_LongT

Long-Term Debt - Summary of Long-Term Debt (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt	$386,642	$404,612
Less current portion	-6,885	-5,734
Long-term debt, net of current portion	379,757	398,878
Total long-term debt	386,642	404,612
Revolving Credit Facility, Due Mar. 2020 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt	80,030
Total long-term debt	80,030
Revolving Credit Facility, Due Nov. 2016 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt		90,555
Total long-term debt		90,555
5.375% Notes, Due Oct. 2020 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt	250,000	250,000
Total long-term debt	250,000	250,000
2.40% Term Loan, Due Jun. 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt	10,742	12,155
Total long-term debt	10,742	12,155
2.05% Term Loan, Due Mar. 2023 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt	45,870	51,902
Total long-term debt	$45,870	$51,902

LongTerm_Debt_Summary_of_LongT1

Long-Term Debt - Summary of Long-Term Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
5.375% Notes, Due Oct. 2020 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, maturity date	31-Oct-20
Interest rate on debt	5.38%	5.38%
2.40% Term Loan, Due Jun. 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, maturity date	30-Jun-22
Interest rate on debt	2.40%	2.40%
2.05% Term Loan, Due Mar. 2023 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, maturity date	31-Mar-23
Interest rate on debt	2.05%	2.05%
Revolving Credit Facility, Due Mar. 2020 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, maturity date	31-Mar-20
Revolving Credit Facility, Due Nov. 2016 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, maturity date	30-Nov-16

LongTerm_Debt_Additional_Infor

Long-Term Debt - Additional Information (Detail)

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 12, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Apr. 11, 2013

Apr. 11, 2013

Mar. 31, 2015

Sep. 04, 2014

Sep. 04, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Oct. 03, 2012

Other Assets [Member]

Maximum [Member]

Federal Funds Rate [Member]

Revolving Credit Facility [Member]

Revolving Credit Facility [Member]

Revolving Credit Facility, Due Nov. 2016 [Member]

Revolving Credit Facility, Due Nov. 2016 [Member]

Revolving Credit Facility, Due Nov. 2016 [Member]

Revolving Credit Facility, Due Nov. 2016 [Member]

Revolving Credit Facility, Due Nov. 2016 [Member]

Letters of Credit [Member]

Letters of Credit [Member]

IKB Loan [Member]

IKB Loan [Member]

IKB Loan [Member]

2014 IKB Loan [Member]

2014 IKB Loan [Member]

2014 IKB Loan [Member]

5.375% Notes [Member]

5.375% Notes [Member]

USD ($)

USD ($)

Minimum [Member]

Maximum [Member]

Daily Euro Rate [Member]

Daily Euro Rate [Member]

USD ($)

USD ($)

DebtAgreements

USD ($)

EUR (€)

Installment

USD ($)

EUR (€)

USD ($)

Minimum [Member]

Maximum [Member]

Installment

Debt Instrument [Line Items]

Line of credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity

$400,000,000

Debt instrument maturity date

12-Mar-20

30-Nov-16

15-Oct-20

Federal fund rate spread

0.50%

0.13%

1.00%

1.13%

2.00%

Margin over Euro-rate

1.00%

Leverage ratio

1.9

3.5

Aggregate principal amount

57,600,000

42,700,000

12,600,000

10,000,000

250,000,000

Percentage of aggregate principal amount of outstanding

2.05%

2.40%

5.38%

5.38%

Frequency of interest payable

Quarterly

Semiannually

Debt instrument redemption

The 5.375% Notes are redeemable, in whole or in part, at anytime on or after October 15, 2016 at the redemption prices specified in the applicable Indenture. Prior to October 15, 2016, we may redeem some or all of the Notes at a "make-whole" premium as specified in the Indenture.

Number of separate loan agreement

2

Number of installments

32

27

Installments beginning date

30-Jun-15

30-Sep-15

Installments ending date

31-Mar-23

30-Jun-22

Aggregated unamortized deferred debt issuance costs

6,100,000

Letters of credit issued

5,400,000

5,300,000

Letters of credit outstanding

$0

Asset_Retirement_Obligation_Ad

Asset Retirement Obligation - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2008
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Abstract]
Fair value of asset retirement obligations related to the legal requirements	$11.50

Asset_Retirement_Obligation_Sc

Asset Retirement Obligation - Schedule of Asset Retirement Obligation (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Abstract]
Balance at January 1,	$4,114	$5,032
Accretion	29	38
Payments	-419	-176
Gain	-107	-43
Balance at March 31,	$3,617	$4,851

Asset_Retirement_Obligation_Sc1

Asset Retirement Obligation - Schedule of Consolidated Balance Sheets where Asset Retirement Obligations Recorded (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Asset retirement obligations	$3,617	$4,114	$4,851	$5,032
Other Current Liabilities [Member]
Asset retirement obligations	2,000	2,855
Other Long-Term Liabilities [Member]
Asset retirement obligations	$1,617	$1,259

Fair_Value_of_Financial_Instru2

Fair Value of Financial Instruments - Carrying Value and Fair Value of Long-Term Debt (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Carrying Value	$386,642	$404,612
Fair Value	395,451	411,757
Variable Rate Debt [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Carrying Value	80,030	90,555
Fair Value	80,030	90,555
Fixed-Rate Bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Carrying Value	250,000	250,000
Fair Value	256,563	255,470
2.05% Term Loan [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Carrying Value	45,870	51,902
Fair Value	47,567	53,106
2.40% Term Loan [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Carrying Value	10,742	12,155
Fair Value	$11,291	$12,626

Fair_Value_of_Financial_Instru3

Fair Value of Financial Instruments - Carrying Value and Fair Value of Long-Term Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
2.05% Term Loan [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Percentage of aggregate principal amount of outstanding	2.05%	2.05%
2.40% Term Loan [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Percentage of aggregate principal amount of outstanding	2.40%	2.40%

Fair_Value_of_Financial_Instru4

Fair Value of Financial Instruments - Additional Information (Detail) (5.375% Fixed Rate Bonds [Member], USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
5.375% Fixed Rate Bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Amount of fixed rate debt	$250	$250
Interest rate on debt	5.38%	5.38%

Financial_Derivatives_and_Hedg2

Financial Derivatives and Hedging Activities - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Designated as Hedging [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Production costs expected to be incurred maximum period	12 months
Maximum maturity period of foreign currency derivative contracts designated as hedging instruments	12 months
Not Designated as Hedging [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Maturities of foreign currency derivative contracts not designated as hedging instruments	1 month
Fair Value, Measurements [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Accumulated other comprehensive income realization period	12 months

Financial_Derivatives_and_Hedg3

Financial Derivatives and Hedging Activities - Outstanding Derivatives Used to Hedge Foreign Exchange Risks (Detail)

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Mar. 31, 2015

Dec. 31, 2014

Cash Flow Hedges [Member]

Cash Flow Hedges [Member]

Cash Flow Hedges [Member]

Cash Flow Hedges [Member]

Cash Flow Hedges [Member]

Cash Flow Hedges [Member]

Cash Flow Hedges [Member]

Cash Flow Hedges [Member]

Cash Flow Hedges [Member]

Cash Flow Hedges [Member]

Foreign Currency Hedges [Member]

Foreign Currency Hedges [Member]

Foreign Currency Hedges [Member]

Foreign Currency Hedges [Member]

Foreign Currency Hedges [Member]

Foreign Currency Hedges [Member]

Foreign Currency Hedges [Member]

Foreign Currency Hedges [Member]

Foreign Currency Hedges [Member]

Euro / British Pound [Member]

Euro / British Pound [Member]

Euro / Philippine Peso [Member]

Euro / Philippine Peso [Member]

British Pound / Philippine Peso [Member]

British Pound / Philippine Peso [Member]

Euro / U.S. dollar [Member]

Euro / U.S. dollar [Member]

U.S. Dollar / Canadian Dollar [Member]

U.S. Dollar / Canadian Dollar [Member]

Euro / British Pound [Member]

Euro / U.S. dollar [Member]

U.S Dollar / Euro [Member]

U.S. Dollar / British Pound [Member]

U.S. Dollar / British Pound [Member]

British Pound / U.S. dollar [Member]

Euro/ British Pound [Member]

Euro/ British Pound [Member]

Euro/ British Pound [Member]

Designated as Hedging [Member]

Designated as Hedging [Member]

Designated as Hedging [Member]

Designated as Hedging [Member]

Designated as Hedging [Member]

Designated as Hedging [Member]

Designated as Hedging [Member]

Designated as Hedging [Member]

Designated as Hedging [Member]

Designated as Hedging [Member]

Not Designated as Hedging [Member]

Not Designated as Hedging [Member]

Not Designated as Hedging [Member]

Not Designated as Hedging [Member]

Not Designated as Hedging [Member]

Not Designated as Hedging [Member]

Not Designated as Hedging [Member]

Not Designated as Hedging [Member]

Not Designated as Hedging [Member]

Sell/Buy - Sell Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Sell Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Buy Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Buy Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Buy Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Buy Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Buy Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Buy Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Buy Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Buy Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Sell Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Buy Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Sell Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Sell Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Sell Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Sell Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Sell Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Buy Notional [Member]

Sell/Buy - Buy Notional [Member]

EUR (€)

EUR (€)

PHP

PHP

PHP

PHP

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

EUR (€)

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

GBP (£)

GBP (£)

EUR (€)

EUR (€)

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]

Derivative notional amount

€ 6,236,000

€ 4,592,000

528,553,000

523,313,000

336,235,000

260,535,000

$41,796,000

$32,527,000

$12,999,000

$10,036,000

€ 2,000,000

$3,000,000

$4,000,000

$9,000,000

$9,000,000

£ 4,000,000

£ 2,000,000

€ 6,000,000

€ 3,000,000

Financial_Derivatives_and_Hedg4

Financial Derivatives and Hedging Activities - Fair Values of Derivative Instruments (Detail) (Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts [Member], USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Designated as Hedging [Member] | Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative asset, fair value	$6,610	$3,106
Designated as Hedging [Member] | Other Current Liabilities [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative liability, fair value	833	394
Not Designated as Hedging [Member] | Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative asset, fair value	108	70
Not Designated as Hedging [Member] | Other Current Liabilities [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative liability, fair value	$43	$161

Financial_Derivatives_and_Hedg5

Financial Derivatives and Hedging Activities - Income or (Loss) from Derivative Instruments Recognized in Results of Operations (Detail) (Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Costs of Products Sold [Member] | Designated as Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Effective portion of derivative instruments, gain (loss)	$873	($449)
Other, Net [Member] | Designated as Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Ineffective portion of derivative instruments, gain (loss)	350	-18
Other, Net [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Derivative instruments, gain (loss)	$720	$336

Financial_Derivatives_and_Hedg6

Financial Derivatives and Hedging Activities - Fair Value Amounts Recorded as Component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Balance at January 1,	$3,282	($1,296)
Deferred (losses) gains on cash flow hedges	4,703	-555
Reclassified to earnings	-873	449
Balance at March 31,	$7,112	($1,402)

Commitments_Contingencies_and_1

Commitments, Contingencies and Legal Proceedings - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	0 Months Ended		1 Months Ended
	Oct. 14, 2014	Mar. 31, 2015	Apr. 09, 2015	Sep. 25, 2014	Jan. 31, 2008
		Operable_Unit
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Number of operable units		5
Upper end estimate of total past and future response costs	$1,100,000,000
Uncertainty premium for future response costs	100,000,000
Initial minimum amount of NRD assessment		176,000,000
Initial maximum amount of NRD assessment		333,000,000
Revised minimum amount of NRD assessment		287,000,000
Revised maximum amount of NRD assessment		423,000,000
Natural resource damage compensation by settling parties	45,900,000
Total amount recovered by governments for natural resource damages	105,000,000
Other prepaid loss contingencies for earlier settlements	59,000,000
Cost of response incurred by government		4,280,000
Reserve for Environmental liabilities, current portion		5,000,000
Total reserves for site		16,200,000
Maximum estimated percentage of discharge		27.00%
Maximum estimated cost related to Fox River matter		185,000,000
Subsequent Event [Member] | Whiting Litigation [Member]
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Remaining costs and damages amount			33,000,000
Subsequent Event [Member] | Whiting Litigation [Member] | NCR and GP [Member]
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Costs and damages amount			67,000,000
Maximum [Member]
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Period over which estimated cost to be incurred		3 years
Minimum [Member]
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Period over which estimated cost to be incurred		2 years
OU1 [Member]
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Estimated future cost of work yet to be done	100,000,000
OU2-5 [Member]
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Estimated future cost of work yet to be done	500,000,000
Annual estimated cost rate seek by Government		70,000,000
NCR costs and damages percentage				100.00%
OU2-5 [Member] | Whiting Litigation [Member]
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
NCR costs and damages percentage					100.00%
OU2-5 [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Annual estimated cost rate seek by Government			100,000,000
Dredging Season [Member]
Commitments Contingencies And Litigation [Line Items]
Annual estimated cost rate seek by Government		$100,000,000

Segment_Information_Schedule_o

Segment Information - Schedule of Financial and Other Information by Business Unit (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
	T	T
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	$417,469,000	$455,721,000
Energy and related sales, net	2,068,000	5,262,000
Total revenue	419,537,000	460,983,000
Cost of products sold	367,429,000	405,943,000
Gross profit (loss)	52,108,000	55,040,000
SG&A	31,272,000	33,551,000
Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net	-2,654,000	-809,000
Total operating income (loss)	23,490,000	22,298,000
Non-operating expense	-4,630,000	-4,540,000
Income (loss) before income taxes	18,860,000	17,758,000
Supplementary Data
Net tons sold	260,700	267,300
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	15,975,000	18,615,000
Capital expenditures	21,700	14,400
Composite Fibers [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	135,300,000	158,600,000
Total revenue	135,300,000	158,600,000
Cost of products sold	109,000,000	126,000,000
Gross profit (loss)	26,300,000	32,600,000
SG&A	11,600,000	13,300,000
Total operating income (loss)	14,700,000	19,300,000
Income (loss) before income taxes	14,700,000	19,300,000
Supplementary Data
Net tons sold	38,000	40,000
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	6,700,000	7,600,000
Capital expenditures	5,900,000	6,000,000
Advanced Airlaid Materials [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	62,300,000	71,300,000
Total revenue	62,300,000	71,300,000
Cost of products sold	55,100,000	63,100,000
Gross profit (loss)	7,200,000	8,200,000
SG&A	1,900,000	2,300,000
Total operating income (loss)	5,300,000	5,900,000
Income (loss) before income taxes	5,300,000	5,900,000
Supplementary Data
Net tons sold	24,100	25,100
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	2,200,000	2,300,000
Capital expenditures	1,300,000	1,500,000
Specialty Papers [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net sales	219,900,000	225,800,000
Energy and related sales, net	2,100,000	5,300,000
Total revenue	222,000,000	231,100,000
Cost of products sold	200,400,000	215,000,000
Gross profit (loss)	21,600,000	16,100,000
SG&A	12,100,000	13,700,000
Total operating income (loss)	9,500,000	2,400,000
Income (loss) before income taxes	9,500,000	2,400,000
Supplementary Data
Net tons sold	198,700	202,200
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	6,600,000	8,300,000
Capital expenditures	13,200,000	6,200,000
Other and Unallocated [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Cost of products sold	2,900,000	1,800,000
Gross profit (loss)	-2,900,000	-1,800,000
SG&A	5,600,000	4,300,000
Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net	-2,700,000	-800,000
Total operating income (loss)	-5,800,000	-5,200,000
Non-operating expense	-4,600,000	-4,500,000
Income (loss) before income taxes	-10,400,000	-9,800,000
Supplementary Data
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	500,000	500,000
Capital expenditures	$1,300,000	$800,000

Condensed_Consolidating_Financ2

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Additional Information (Detail)	Mar. 31, 2015	Oct. 03, 2012
PHG Tea Leaves, Inc. [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Percentage owned in domestic subsidiaries	100.00%
Mollanvick, Inc. [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Percentage owned in domestic subsidiaries	100.00%
Glatfelter Holdings, LLC [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Percentage owned in domestic subsidiaries	100.00%
5.375% Notes [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Interest rate on notes guaranteed	5.38%	5.38%

Condensed_Consolidating_Financ3

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Statement of Income (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	$417,469	$455,721
Energy and related sales, net	2,068	5,262
Total revenues	419,537	460,983
Costs of products sold	367,429	405,943
Gross profit	52,108	55,040
Selling, general and administrative expenses	31,272	33,551
Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net	-2,654	-809
Operating income	23,490	22,298
Other non-operating income (expense)
Interest expense	-4,508	-4,812
Interest income	65	61
Other, net	-187	211
Total non-operating expense	-4,630	-4,540
Income before income taxes	18,860	17,758
Income tax provision	4,935	3,110
Net income	13,925	14,648
Other comprehensive income (loss)	-35,285	2,965
Comprehensive income	-21,360	17,613
Adjustments/ Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales		-18
Total revenues		-18
Costs of products sold		-18
Other non-operating income (expense)
Interest expense	6,703	2,658
Interest income	-6,702	-2,658
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	-25,838	-42,961
Other, net	-1
Total non-operating expense	-25,838	-42,961
Income before income taxes	-25,838	-42,961
Net income	-25,838	-42,961
Other comprehensive income (loss)	-298	-886
Comprehensive income	-26,136	-43,847
Parent Company [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	219,876	225,831
Energy and related sales, net	2,068	5,262
Total revenues	221,944	231,093
Costs of products sold	202,519	216,716
Gross profit	19,425	14,377
Selling, general and administrative expenses	17,182	17,793
Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net	-1,471	-812
Operating income	3,714	-2,604
Other non-operating income (expense)
Interest expense	-4,817	-4,739
Interest income	163	153
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	16,363	22,499
Other, net	-715	-881
Total non-operating expense	10,994	17,032
Income before income taxes	14,708	14,428
Income tax provision	783	-220
Net income	13,925	14,648
Other comprehensive income (loss)	-35,285	2,965
Comprehensive income	-21,360	17,613
Guarantors [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales		18
Total revenues		18
Costs of products sold		17
Gross profit		1
Selling, general and administrative expenses	190	13
Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net	-1,183
Operating income	993	-12
Other non-operating income (expense)
Interest income	6,599	2,559
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	9,475	20,462
Other, net	-126	10
Total non-operating expense	15,948	23,031
Income before income taxes	16,941	23,019
Income tax provision	904	913
Net income	16,037	22,106
Other comprehensive income (loss)	-38,550	1
Comprehensive income	-22,513	22,107
Non Guarantors [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	197,593	229,890
Total revenues	197,593	229,890
Costs of products sold	164,910	189,228
Gross profit	32,683	40,662
Selling, general and administrative expenses	13,900	15,745
Gains on dispositions of plant, equipment and timberlands, net		3
Operating income	18,783	24,914
Other non-operating income (expense)
Interest expense	-6,394	-2,731
Interest income	5	7
Other, net	655	1,082
Total non-operating expense	-5,734	-1,642
Income before income taxes	13,049	23,272
Income tax provision	3,248	2,417
Net income	9,801	20,855
Other comprehensive income (loss)	38,848	885
Comprehensive income	$48,649	$21,740

Condensed_Consolidating_Financ4

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet (Detail) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$71,570	$99,837	$74,785	$122,882
Other current assets	478,011	474,785
Plant, equipment and timberlands, net	662,808	697,608
Other assets	274,868	289,274
Total assets	1,487,257	1,561,504
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
Current liabilities	258,434	279,731
Long-term debt	379,757	398,878
Deferred income taxes	100,455	104,016
Other long-term liabilities	125,742	129,770
Total liabilities	864,388	912,395
Shareholders' equity	622,869	649,109
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	1,487,257	1,561,504
Adjustments/ Eliminations [Member]
Assets
Other current assets	-348,100	-427,777
Investments in subsidiaries	-1,180,272	-1,224,411
Other assets	-87,293	-17,980
Total assets	-1,615,665	-1,670,168
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
Current liabilities	-350,801	-435,062
Long-term debt	-506,032	-572,579
Deferred income taxes	2,719	-12,289
Other long-term liabilities	-86,806	5,779
Total liabilities	-940,920	-1,014,151
Shareholders' equity	-674,745	-656,017
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	-1,615,665	-1,670,168
Parent Company [Member]
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	50,133	42,208	41,133	56,216
Other current assets	227,159	218,544
Plant, equipment and timberlands, net	259,875	255,255
Investments in subsidiaries	802,272	824,480
Other assets	126,687	121,125
Total assets	1,466,126	1,461,612
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
Current liabilities	434,759	403,662
Long-term debt	250,000	250,000
Deferred income taxes	48,983	46,483
Other long-term liabilities	109,515	112,358
Total liabilities	843,257	812,503
Shareholders' equity	622,869	649,109
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	1,466,126	1,461,612
Guarantors [Member]
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	2,583	514	232	501
Other current assets	328,811	420,451
Plant, equipment and timberlands, net	961	991
Investments in subsidiaries	378,000	399,931
Other assets	86,808
Total assets	797,163	821,887
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
Current liabilities	4,887	3,394
Deferred income taxes	-453	-453
Total liabilities	4,434	2,941
Shareholders' equity	792,729	818,946
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	797,163	821,887
Non Guarantors [Member]
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	18,854	57,115	33,420	66,165
Other current assets	270,141	263,567
Plant, equipment and timberlands, net	401,972	441,362
Other assets	148,666	186,129
Total assets	839,633	948,173
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
Current liabilities	169,589	307,737
Long-term debt	635,789	721,457
Deferred income taxes	49,206	70,275
Other long-term liabilities	103,033	11,633
Total liabilities	957,617	1,111,102
Shareholders' equity	-117,984	-162,929
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$839,633	$948,173

Condensed_Consolidating_Financ5

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net cash provided (used) by Operating activities	$2,155	($10,210)
Investing activities
Expenditures for purchases of plant, equipment and timberlands	-21,749	-14,435
Proceeds from disposal plant, equipment and timberlands, net	2,726	839
Other	-1,600
Net cash used by investing activities	-20,623	-13,596
Financing activities
Payments of borrowing costs	-1,008
Net proceeds from indebtedness		-17,933
Payment of dividends to shareholders	-4,774	-4,363
Repurchases of common stock		-1,251
Payments related to share-based compensation awards and other	-1,408	-781
Net cash used by financing activities	-7,190	-24,328
Effect of exchange rate on cash	-2,609	37
Net increase (decrease) in cash	-28,267	-48,097
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period	99,837	122,882
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period	71,570	74,785
Adjustments/ Eliminations [Member]
Investing activities
Repayments from intercompany loans	-31,556
Advances of intercompany loans	30,690	1,250
Net cash used by investing activities	-866	1,250
Financing activities
Repayments of intercompany loans	31,556
Borrowings of intercompany loans	-30,690	-1,250
Net cash used by financing activities	866	-1,250
Parent Company [Member]
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net cash provided (used) by Operating activities	-975	-3,797
Investing activities
Expenditures for purchases of plant, equipment and timberlands	-14,513	-6,979
Proceeds from disposal plant, equipment and timberlands, net	1,513	838
Other	-1,600
Net cash used by investing activities	-14,600	-6,141
Financing activities
Payments of borrowing costs	-1,008
Payment of dividends to shareholders	-4,774	-4,363
Repurchases of common stock		-1,251
Borrowings of intercompany loans	30,690	1,250
Payments related to share-based compensation awards and other	-1,408	-781
Net cash used by financing activities	23,500	-5,145
Net increase (decrease) in cash	7,925	-15,083
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period	42,208	56,216
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period	50,133	41,133
Guarantors [Member]
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net cash provided (used) by Operating activities	-10	981
Investing activities
Proceeds from disposal plant, equipment and timberlands, net	1,213
Repayments from intercompany loans	31,556
Advances of intercompany loans	-30,690	-1,250
Net cash used by investing activities	2,079	-1,250
Financing activities
Net increase (decrease) in cash	2,069	-269
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period	514	501
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period	2,583	232
Non Guarantors [Member]
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net cash provided (used) by Operating activities	3,140	-7,394
Investing activities
Expenditures for purchases of plant, equipment and timberlands	-7,236	-7,456
Proceeds from disposal plant, equipment and timberlands, net		1
Net cash used by investing activities	-7,236	-7,455
Financing activities
Net proceeds from indebtedness		-17,933
Repayments of intercompany loans	-31,556
Net cash used by financing activities	-31,556	-17,933
Effect of exchange rate on cash	-2,609	37
Net increase (decrease) in cash	-38,261	-32,745
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period	57,115	66,165
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period	$18,854	$33,420